


Strangers in Red

by germankitty



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Time Force
Genre: Crossover MMPR/Time Force characters, Early Work, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/germankitty/pseuds/germankitty
Summary: Co-written with Cmar in 2008.On Jason's 21st birthday, the first Earth-born Red Ranger decides to embark on a new, somewhat 'unconventional' adventure. Visiting a gay bar in San Diego's harbor district, who should he run into but a still rather closeted Eric Myers -- the future (Red) Quantum Ranger?  When they meet again years later, they remember ... and will have to come clean to their respective partners, Red Zeo Ranger Tommy Oliver and Red Time Force Ranger Wes Collins.





	Strangers in Red

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** All PR characters, some dialogue, events and locations belong to Saban/BVE; they are used without permission and no money is being paid to either of us.
> 
> Unfortunately, I can't officially credit Cmar as co-author as she has no account here, sorry!
> 
> To understand some of the background alluded to in several places, knowledge of [Cmar's series](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/228522/cmar) 'Red Fire' (plus her standalone fic 'Turns In The Road') and my own [More Than Friends And Brothers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15872454), as well as at least some familiarity with the ultimate series crossover episode "Forever Red" (2006), might be helpful. 
> 
> As for how _this_ story came to be ... well, Cmar and I were discussing our respective series, remembered that in 'Forever Red' Jason, when greeting the other Red Rangers, casually said "I know some of you more than others" while directly facing Eric and Wes ... and the mother of all plot bunnies bit us. Hard. This story is the result of that bite. :-) Rated R for strong sexual content, about intimate relationships between consenting adult males – so consider yourselves warned! Feedback is always appreciated.

**Strangers In Red**

**by germankitty and Cmar**

_****_

_**[1] A Blast From The Past** _

__  


 

   _-Damn you, Tommy!-_

   That was the thought uppermost on Jason's mind even as he entered the highway and gunned his motorcycle to full speed. Tommy's phone call, summoning him and a bunch of other Red Rangers to one joint mission had come pretty much out of the blue; to say that he was feeling ambivalent over taking up his old Powers again was putting it mildly.

 

_-Why now? Why me?-_

He had no answer for the first question, but if he was being honest, he knew that in Tommy's stead he would've called his oldest, _best_ partner as well. Not to mention that he'd want his best friend there … but.

Yeah, but.

 

   After holding Trey's Gold Power and nearly losing his life over it, Jason had honestly believed he'd put his Rangering days behind him for good … and some part of him had been glad. Giving up his Power Coin once had been hard enough; the second time had been just as hard, but comparatively easy since he'd known it was only temporary from the outset. And for a while afterwards, he'd had Emily, which helped. However, all of that was in the past now.

 

   _-That's what I thought, anyway. Shit.-_

But this time around there was no-one to take his place; Tommy had said that Andros could only reactivate the original Red Dino Powers, not the permanently-destroyed Thunder or Ninja Powers.  Besides, Rocky's back injury still bothered him at times; with the destruction of Earth at stake, it was too great a risk to have one of her defenders not at full capacity. And truth to tell, some other part of him was glad he'd been given a chance to experience the thrill of morphing, of fighting the good fight beside his best friend and other Rangers one final time.

 

   _-Because this is gonna be it. Andros can re-power all now-defunct morphers just this once. After today, it'll all be up to the current team.- _

 

   So here he was, riding his bike towards the NASADA Space Station near Angel Grove, hoping that the CHiPs wouldn't stop him for exceeding the speed limit to a degree that was only marginally safe. Bending low over the handle bar, Jason deliberately cleared his mind and tried to focus on the mission ahead. Sooner than he thought he reached the city limits of his home town and barreled through the thankfully quiet streets.

 

   _-There's nothing to worry about. We'll go on this mission, kick some bad guy ass and I'll be back on my way to college. And finals. Ugh. I won't let seeing Tommy – seeing all the things I want most in my life and can't have – affect me. Easy.-_

Of course, there was the little matter of maybe _not_ winning, but Jason refused to entertain the possibility. Losing to their old enemies was not an option; that was not a Red Ranger's way. Time was running short, though; he needed to hurry if he didn't want to miss the boat. _-Spaceship. Whatever.-_ A last burst of speed brought him through NASADA's gates and towards the building Tommy had specified in his call. The tarmac field in front was empty, but the hangar doors were open.

 

   _-Where the hell is everyone? They can't have left already, can they?-_  

 

   Jason needn't have worried; as he coasted to a stop and got off his bike, he could see seven men running out of the hangar to meet him. All of them were wearing at least one article of red clothing, and he had to grin – grabbing a red t-shirt he hadn't worn in six years from the back of his closet had been as instinctive as breathing. Seemed like he wasn't the only one hanging on to his former signature color.

 

   Still smiling, Jason took off his helmet and turned, facing the line of Rangers.

 

\---

 

   "Jason."

 

   Tommy's voice drifted towards him, the warmth, affection and relief that he'd made it after all –  and on time, too – evident in the mellow tenor. But Jason couldn't face his best friend directly just yet; not beyond a brief acknowledgement. Too much longing and secret hopes needed to be hidden before he looked into those chocolate eyes. Instead, he let his gaze sweep along the row of men. The hard, angular face of the man standing at the end of the line, posture military-correct, came as something of a shock to Jason and almost threw him more off-balance than his imminent reunion with Tommy. _-He's a Ranger, too? Oh hell!-_ So, to cover his surprise, he took refuge in some self-deprecating humor.

 

   "You guys weren't gonna do this without me, were you?"

 

   He got no answer, just silent stares from all seven, so Jason decided to walk down the row of Rangers, starting with the first man on his left. _-Guess that's the newbie.-_

Cole's puppy-like eagerness as he greeted Jason confirmed it, and Jason clapped him on the shoulder, slightly embarrassed by the almost-hero worship in the boy's expression. Next in line were TJ, Andros, Carter Grayson ... time to show that he knew who he'd be fighting with, Jason decided.

 

   "I recognize some of you guys," he said lightly, briefly meeting the appraising blue eyes of Wes Collins as he walked past each of the others. But Jason couldn't help but pause almost imperceptibly before the next man dressed in a near-black uniform that fit him like he was born in it.

 

   Eric. A face from his past he'd nearly forgotten – if it weren't for some very personal history they shared.

 

   "Some of you … more than others," he murmured, daring to meet the guarded black gaze. Memory supplied a flash of images and sensations.

 

   _A dimly-lit bar in an out-of-the-way street in San Diego's harbor district. The taste of wine, the bass beat of loud music … a conversation laden with innuendo._

_Glances were exchanged, a challenge-cum-invitation silently issued and accepted by both._

_Going to the dark beach, sand crunching under their feet and the splash of waves against the boardwalk's struts._

_Hard lips claiming his own, demanding hands roaming over his body and a rush of sensation so intense it nearly took his breath away._

_The adrenaline-saturated rush of nearly getting caught in a compromising situation. Starting over in his dorm room and more mind-blowing heat … only to have it end abruptly in disappointment, anger and derisive frustration._

Mentally, Jason shook himself. Eric might have unexpectedly reappeared in his life, but now was neither the time nor place to dwell on that. They had a job to do. Besides, he couldn't be totally sure if he _had_ detected a flash of recognition in Eric's eyes, or if it had been just his imagination. Summoning a smile from somewhere, he finally turned towards Tommy.

 

   _-Oh man – when did he cut his hair?!? He looks weird without the ponytail …-_

But the brown eyes looked at him just as warmly as ever as Tommy, after the briefest hesitation, held out his hand.

 

   "I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all," he said quietly.

 

   _-So was I,-_ Jason thought. He wanted nothing more than to draw Tommy into a bear hug, but didn't trust himself to let it _not_ change from a best friend's brotherly embrace into much more. So he made do with clasping his Bro's arm and sought for humor again.

 

   "You didn't think I was gonna let you do this without the original Red Ranger, didya?"

 

   Tommy just snorted, then became all business. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're here; we can use every hand we can get. Let's go, guys!" With that, the mission leader corralled his forces and together the eight men boarded the Astro Megaship.

 

\---

 

   _-Mission accomplished.-_  With a sigh, Jason mounted his motorcycle again at last. It was going to be a long ride back to San Diego and university, especially as he no longer had an excuse to ignore the speed limit. And the last thing he wanted after a both emotionally and physically draining day was to get held up and ticketed for speeding.

 

   Afterwards it had been fun, if bittersweet, to shoot the breeze with his comrades-in-arms – at least those who decided to hang around a little. Aurico had gone back to Aquitar directly from the moon; understandably so, as Earth's atmosphere wasn't really suited to him. Tommy had left right after their return without giving a reason, which had resulted in some good-natured one-upmanship from everybody until their adrenaline levels had reached more normal proportions and they'd said their good-byes.

 

   As he settled in on the long haul on the highway, the night wind caressing his neck between his helmet and the collar of his leather jacket, Jason reflected on the more personal aspects of today's adventure. Overall, he was glad he'd gotten to see Tommy again; now that his racing days were behind him and he'd started attending the University of Wyoming at Laramie to study paleontology, of all things, they hardly got to spend time together anymore. To Jason's mind, that was both good and bad.

 

   _-Good, because I don't have to hide my feelings from him. I love him, and I want him; but even if I might have to keep that to myself for the rest of my life, maybe I should at least tell him I'm bisexual.-  _It wasn't that Jason was ashamed of his sexuality; no, he just never had found the right way or time to tell Tommy. _-Okay, I'll do it. During fall break, when we'll both be home. Either he can accept me the way I am, or he's not the friend I thought he is.-_

Which brought Jason's thoughts neatly to the 'bad' part.

 

   _-The bad part is … what if Tommy can't deal with me being bi? What if by telling him I lose my best friend – my Bro?- _The idea was nigh-on unbearable, but Jason decided to cross that bridge if and when he came to it. _-If nothing else, I can live with having to take care of my physical needs at least by sometimes having casual sex with acquaintances and such, and maybe, just maybe I'll meet someone else to fall in love with along the way.-_

A hard, angular face with black, slightly slanted eyes, a square jaw and topped by straight dark hair swam briefly before his inner eye, but Jason chased it away again after the merest hesitation. Eric had been an exciting partner, the sex – what little of it they'd done – had been great, but even their brief encounter had shown clearly that they weren't suited for anything long-term. Their personalities were too different, their lives would never mesh, so it was fruitless to even speculate about it.

 

   _-Strangely enough, though, I don't regret having seen him again, to know that he's doing well. Good luck, Eric, and also good riddance; no thanks for the memory!-_

Determinedly turning his mind away from the past, off his problems and his love life, Jason tried to focus instead on his upcoming finals as he drove off into the night.

 

\---

 

_"So we won't have the equipment ready for about two weeks. I'd like you and Eric to go through the tests then."_ Dr. Zaskin's voice held that same tone of suppressed excitement that Wes had been hearing in it for months now, ever since he and Anton Mercer had first thought up this plan.

 

   "No problem for me, and I'm sure Eric will do whatever you need," Wes said into his office phone.

 

_"Good. I made tentative arrangements for Thomas Oliver to come in, too."_

 

   "You talked to him?" Wes could hear that excitement now in his own voice, and this time not suppressed. "He's really coming here, to Bio-Lab?"

 

_"Yes, he seemed quite interested in the project. He's busy during the week so we made it for two weeks from Saturday. He said he'd ask Jason Scott to come along, too, but I have to call back to confirm both of them."_

 

   "Jason too, huh?" Even better. Wes thought for a moment. "How about if I call Tommy instead, and let you know?"

 

_"That's right, you've met him. Sure, he'd probably like to hear from you."_

 

   "I hope so. Give me his number and I'll try him right now."

 

   In the insular world of science, perhaps it was inevitable that Dr. Zaskin, who had once studied Eric's Quantum morpher, and Dr. Mercer, who had once battled Tommy and his Dino Thunder teammates, would contact each other and decide they wanted to work on a project together. Perhaps Mercer wanted to atone for the crimes he had committed under the control of Mesogog, and was using his expertise in biology to do it. And Zaskin was always ready to take on a new challenge. In any event, they were starting a study of the long-term effects of morphing on human physiology. It was something the many current and former Rangers had a stake in, especially as the earlier ones grew older and some were planning to have children. It certainly was a concern for Tommy, who had been a Ranger for years with different powers, quit, then done it again. And it was equally important to Wes and Eric, who were among the few Rangers to have kept their morphers and still be using their powers, hopefully for many more years to come.

 

   A minute later, Wes was dialing again. Bracing the phone between his ear and his shoulder for a moment, he rubbed his hands against his uniform pants legs, smiling at himself as he did it, realizing he hadn't even been aware of being nervous until he felt how moist his palms were.

 

   No real reason for it, after all. Not like Tommy Oliver was God. In fact he wasn't even the first Red Ranger, or even one of the very first Rangers at all. No, Wes reflected with another little smile and a shake of his head, _that_ was Jason. Still, at least they had spent a little time with Jason, but Tommy ...

 

   And then he heard it, the click that meant the other end had been picked up, followed by a male voice that sounded cool and professionally polite with just a hint of an undertone of impatience at the interruption.

 

_"Hello, Dr. Oliver speaking."_

 

   "Dr. Oliver?" Wes said. "I mean ... Tommy?"

 

_"Yes. Who's this?"_

 

   "Hi. It's Wesley Collins. We met back in 2002, with the other - er, guys?"

 

   Tommy's voice was considerably warmer as it answered. _"Sure, Wes! Hello! How are you?"_

 

   "Great. I'm great. Glad I caught you in your office."

 

_"Me too. I was going to call you or Eric, as a matter of fact. You know I'm going to be in Silver Hills in a couple of  weeks?"_

 

   "Yeah, Dr. Zaskin told me he made the arrangements with your friend, Dr. Mercer, and I called to confirm."

 

_"Right, I'll be there. I guess they want you two to help out, too."_

 

   There was a slight chuckle in Tommy's voice. Wes grinned. 'Help out' was a good way to put it. Neither of them wanted to talk about the exact nature of the help Drs. Zaskin and Mercer wanted over an unsecured phone line, since Tommy's identity as a former Ranger was still a secret, but they both knew.

 

   "Yeah," Wes said. "We're involved. Dr. Zaskin is going to run us through his tests a few days before you'll be – uh ..."

 

_"Playing guinea pig?"_ There was a definite chuckle in Tommy's tone now.

 

   "Well, yeah." Wes laughed, and then decided it was time to get to the second reason he had called. "Anyway, I was wondering if you had gotten in touch with Jason Scott and asked him to come too."

 

   There was a slight hesitation from Tommy's end of the call. _"Not yet. I'm expecting to see him this weekend, and I thought I'd ask then."_

 

   "I hope he can make it. He's - ah - worn more than one color, too, and I heard he had some - er - health effects. Dr. Zaskin thought it was a great idea when you suggested bringing him along."

 

_"Yes, I know."_

 

   "Good thing you guys are still in touch."

 

   Tommy seemed to find that amusing for some reason. _"Yes, we're - in touch. I'll let you know in a few days whether he's coming."_

 

   Wes smiled again. "And if he can make it, maybe the four of us can get together after. Have lunch or dinner or something."

 

_"Sounds good to me. Listen, I gotta go. But I'll see you in a few weeks."_

 

   Wes said goodbye and hung up, still grinning as he set the phone down and looked up, mildly surprised to see a black-haired man in a Silver Guardians uniform leaning against his office door frame. "Hey," he said. "Didn't hear you come in."

 

   "So was that the great Tommy Oliver?" Eric asked.

 

  "Sure was."

 

   "Is he coming?"

 

   "Sure is."

 

   "And ... Zaskin said that guy Jason might come too. Did you ask him about that?" There was something in Eric's voice, something that made Wes take a closer look at his partner and lover. But Eric seemed perfectly relaxed, his face blank and bland, one eyebrow lifting as he waited for an answer.

 

   "Yeah, I did. He's getting together with Jason this weekend, and he'll ask him then. I hope they can both make it."

 

   "Yeah. Hope so."

 

   Again Wes looked up, puzzled at the flat tone. "Why, is something wrong with that?"

 

   "No, nothing wrong. I'm just not crazy about having Dr. Zaskin poking at me again. That's all." Eric still had that cool expression on his face.

 

  "Shouldn't take long. And while Tommy and Jason are here, maybe the four of us can get together."

 

  "Get together?"

 

  "Yeah. It’ll be great hanging out with them again, won't it?"

 

   "Great. Yeah."

 

   Wes hesitated. "If you're busy, I'll go with them by myself."

 

   Eric's eyes narrowed slightly, but an instant later he was smiling. "No, I'll be there." He straightened abruptly. "Well, I've got some things to do. See ya later."

 

   "Okay, see you--" But Eric was already out of the door.

 

\---

 

   Eric walked rapidly back in the direction of his own office. He had seen the puzzled look in Wes's eyes. His partner wasn't blind, and Eric knew he had let his own dismay show. _-Damn it all to hell and back again.-_ Why did Dr. Zaskin have to start this damn study, and why did he have to team up with a friend of Tommy Oliver's? Why couldn't Jason Lee Scott have moved away, disappeared, been unfindable? Most of all, why did he have to come _here_?

 

   The familiar hallways of Bio-Lab surrounded him, but what Eric saw was the outside of a hangar at NASADA as he and six other Red Rangers ran outside to watch a motorcycle pull up and park, all of them lined up and squinting in the sun as the rider dismounted and took off his helmet. Eric had been glad no one was looking at him as that rider turned and smiled, and as he heard Tommy greet him as 'Jason', confirming the jolt of recognition that had shot through him.

 

_The newcomer was coming closer, slowly pacing down the line of Red Rangers, saying something to Cole, smiling at TJ, nodding to Andros, saving Eric and Tommy for last. Eric saw no reaction in his face, and wasn't sure Jason remembered him from that night when they had both had something to celebrate and had found each other to do their celebrating with. He wasn't sure, until he heard ..._

_"I recognize some of you guys. Some of you more than others."_

_Yes, Jason recognized him, although that one direct look and that one smart-ass remark were the only signs. Jason remembered and so did Eric. The club, the music, a little conversation; then the night outside followed by a small but private room; and for a few exciting minutes he had been able to forget about the relationship he had just ended and the uncertainties of the new job he faced in Silver Hills, and had even stopped wondering how good his chances were of running into Wes Collins again._

_They were never supposed to have seen each other again after that night, yet there Jason was. Still, it didn't really matter. They had a mission, one which was more important than any lingering bitterness over disappointment, angry words, and a door that had closed more than a year ago. Eric knew how to leave the past in the past, and he had a feeling Jason did, too._

 

   They had worked together on the mission, with no more reminders of what had happened between them. Later, they had both celebrated their victory with the rest of the guys. Eric had even wondered what he would say if Jason suggested a repeat performance. Then he and Wes had been on their way home and it had been over. For good, he had thought.

 

   But things were different from what they had been on that sunny morning in Angel Grove almost four years ago. What had been friendship and a business partnership between himself and Wes - at least outwardly - had changed and deepened into the kind of love that Eric realized he had always been looking for. But now, Jason was about to turn up again like another echo of a past Eric thought he had left behind forever, a past with too many barely-remembered names and faces from darkened bars and back alleys. First Nick had brought that past face to face with Wes, and now Jason was going to. Eric knew his relationship with Wes was strong - as his partner himself was stronger than he might seem on the surface - but he also knew the kind of pain jealousy can cause, and wished he could spare him that.

 

   But there would be no choice. He couldn't let Wes walk into this situation without knowing the truth.

 

   All because he had seen a good-looking young man sitting at the other end of a bar one night, and decided to talk to him ... "Dammit," Eric muttered. "Of all the guys in the world ... why did _he_ have to turn out to be a Ranger?"

 

 

_**[2] Confession Is Good For The Soul** _

 

 

   It had been a long, leisurely day, filled with an excursion to the beach in the morning, lunch at Hayley's Cyber Café and a satisfying sparring session behind Tommy's house in the afternoon. Jason had suggested they share a shower afterwards, and that had inevitably led to some spirited lovemaking.

 

   Deciding that they were feeling too mellow to actually get up again and cook dinner, the two had raided Tommy's fridge and pantry, loaded a tray with assorted cheese, bread, fruit and a bottle of wine and gone back to the bedroom. Now, still comfortably naked, they were lying next to each other on Tommy's bed, snacking, talking idly about this 'n' that and watching TV. As they were waiting for the week's review on sports to begin, Tommy remembered a phone conversation he'd had while Jason was still in Angel Grove he needed to tell him about. He hadn't wanted to relay the matter over the phone, however, so had waited until his visit this weekend.

 

   He nudged his lover. "Jase?"

 

   Jason's attention was on the news, but not so focused that he didn't turn. "Hmm?"

 

   "Are you free the weekend after next?"

 

   Puzzled, Jason looked at Tommy. "Of course I am – it's your turn to come to my place, idiot," he smiled. "You know I always keep my schedule as open as possible." Since they didn't live in the same town, the two alternated visits between Reefside and Angel Grove every other weekend during the school year; it wasn't an ideal situation, but unless one or the other relocated, it was the best they could do.

 

   Tommy chuckled a bit sheepishly. "I hadn't forgotten, believe it or not, but … something's come up, and I was afraid I might have to cancel."

 

   Jason mentally checked his calendar; no, he _was_ free. "Well, I won't have papers to grade and there are no games scheduled for my students on Saturday and Sunday, but I _will_ have to be home Friday night," he amended. "One of the teams has a shot at making it to the state championships, it's their next-to-last game, and I'd rather not miss something this important. Why, what's up?"

 

   Tommy refilled his own and Jason's drinks, settled himself more comfortably against his pillow and took a sip.

 

   "You know that I'm helping Mercer research possible side effects of using morpher technology on human physiology, right?" It was one reason they'd settled on bi-weekly visits; weekends were the only time when Tommy could concentrate on his second job, doing research at Mercer Laboratories, and not have scheduling conflicts with teaching school.

 

   "Yeah, sure. Why?"

 

   "Anton found out a while ago that a company called Bio-Lab in Silver Hills is working on a similar project; he got together with their head researcher, a Dr Zaskin, and … anyway, since I'm the person with probably the most hands-on experience of different morphers, someone had the bright idea I should drive over for a consultation. Wes Collins called me about this earlier in the week, in fact."

 

   Abandoning the news and the upcoming sports program, Jason nodded thoughtfully. Between his first Dragon Coin way back in high school and the Black Dino Gem a scant two years ago, Tommy had held a total of six different Powers; according to Billy, more than any other being in living memory. Even if the Thunderzords had basically just been an upgrade from their first set of Powers, there had still been palpable differences in how things worked and felt. "Makes sense. So we won't be seeing each other then?"

 

   Despite understanding why Tommy would have to go, Jason couldn't quite suppress a pang of disappointment. They saw each other rarely enough as it was; to have to wait an extra fortnight wasn't going to be pleasant. _-And not just because we'll be missing out on making love; I'm gonna miss him, period.-_

To his surprise, however, Tommy shook his head and smiled. "That's why I was asking if you'd be free. I thought we could go together – the tests, interviews, whatever shouldn't take more than a few hours, so if we leave early on Saturday morning, we'd be done by afternoon at the latest, I should think … and I happen to know there's a pretty decent inn about halfway along the highway to Silver Hills, with a good restaurant and a spa. What do you say we splurge for once and spend the night there – make sort of a mini-vacation out of it?"

 

   Jason didn't have to think long. It would be a perfect break in their usual routine, and staying at a hotel with his lover had definite … possibilities.

 

   "I like it," he grinned. Then, he frowned. "The only bad thing is … what am I supposed to do while you're meeting with the research people? Silver Hills is a nice enough place, I suppose, but not exactly a hotspot for leisure activities."

 

   Tommy grinned right back at him. "Afraid of getting bored?"

 

   Jason shrugged. "Kinda. Oh well, I can always take a book to the beach, I guess."

 

   "You won't have to," Tommy said. "Actually … when I suggested it might be a good thing if this Dr. Zaskin talked to you as well – as far as anyone knows, you're the only human who's ever held _alien_ Powers, and we _know_ they had an effect on you – Anton said Zaskin practically drooled over the possibility. If that line of research brings up results, they'll want to talk to you sooner or later anyway. So you'd be occupied at Bio-Lab as well, same as me. "

 

   _-Only not on the theoretical side,-_ Jason mused wryly, but he didn't really mind. He knew he wasn't cut out for research. _-Just to be poked, prodded and tested. Oh joy.-_ He mock-glared at Tommy. "I see. You want me to tag along as your personal guinea pig."

 

   "No! Jase, it never even occurred to me – I'd never use you like that, you gotta believe me," Tommy exclaimed, horrified by the suggestion. His protest was immediately stilled, though, when Jason hooked a hand behind his neck and pulled him into a reassuring kiss.

 

   "I know that, moron," he murmured against Tommy's lips. "Just kidding."

 

   "Oh." Tommy belatedly remembered that it had been his own first reaction as well and returned the kiss, mollified. "So, what do you say? Wanna come with?"

 

   The prospect of putting himself almost literally under a microscope, or having to relive in memory the loss of the Gold Zeo Powers, wasn't pleasant, but Jason realized how important this research project was if humankind ever was to successfully create their own, _safe_ morpher technology. Resigning himself to the inevitable, he shrugged.

 

   "Okay, why not. At the least, it'll get us together, away from nosy neighbors and friends." He sent a friendly leer in Tommy's direction who returned it with a knowing smirk and quick, teasing grope.

 

   "Cool. I'll call back on Monday to make the arrangements, then." Fishing a grape and a chunk of brie from the nightstand, he popped both into his mouth. As he chewed, another tidbit of his conversation with Wes occurred to him. "Hey, maybe we'll even have time for a drink, lunch or whatever with Eric and Wes – you remember they're co-commanding the Silver Guardians, don't you? Wes and I thought it might be fun to hang out a little since we haven't had a chance to catch up with stuff since our mission to the moon. What do you think?"

 

\---

 

   _-I think … that's potentially a Bad Idea. You have no idea how bad.- _Jason went quite still as he pictured meeting the Quantum Ranger again, this time deliberately. To socialize with him, even. He emphatically did _not_ want to go through a replay of their first parting, plus he had no idea how Tommy would react if he were suddenly to come face-to-face with one of his former lovers. Sure, he knew there'd been others before him, but no names had ever been mentioned. What if either of them slipped up and inadvertently gave matters away? 

 

   Jason's mind whirled, trying to come up with a plausible reason to steer Tommy away from his plan. But he waited too long; his sudden silence didn't go unnoticed by his lover, who half-rose, leaned over him and looked at him with a concerned frown.

 

   "Jase? What's wrong?"

 

   "Nothing," he mumbled, but could sense Tommy wasn't buying it.

 

   "Yeah, right. That's why you just clammed up tighter than a bad shell," he snorted. "C'mon, Bro, give."

 

   Avoiding the brown eyes, Jason shrugged. "Do we have to meet them?"

 

   Bewildered, Tommy shook his head. "Who, Wes and Eric? Of course not, if you'd rather not, but why? I thought it might be fun to shoot the breeze with a couple of other Rangers – ones who aren't younger than us, anyway," he added. "I mean, I liked my last team, but compared to us they were kids, really, and we don't get to see our old gang nearly often enough …"

 

   "We could go to Mariner Bay one of these days if you want to talk to other Rangers our age," Jason suggested, hoping to divert Tommy's attention.

 

   "Sure we could, but why pass up the opportunity as long as we'll be in Silver Hills anyway?" Tommy asked reasonably. Then, his eyes narrowed as he noticed how Jason was nervously plucking at the sheets. "What's your _real_ reason, Jase?" 

 

   Jason briefly considered lying, but discarded the idea almost immediately. Tommy had a right to his honesty, and besides, he didn't _want_ to lie to him. Ever. However, it wasn't going to be easy to tell what he now realized he had to. It wasn't that he was ashamed, as Tommy and he hadn't been together then, and what he'd done while single was nobody's business but his own. But this episode in his life wasn't one he was particularly proud of.

 

   Jason snuck a peek at Tommy and could see his best friend wasn't going to let things slide; if he wanted to, Tommy could adopt a stubborn streak as wide as anybody's, and this was clearly one of those times. Resignedly, he rolled onto his side, facing but not looking at his lover. He drew a deep, fortifying breath.

 

   "I thought you didn't want to know about any of my former partners," he murmured, blushing despite himself.

 

   Puzzled, Tommy frowned. "I don't – but what's that got to do with hanging out with Wes and- waitjustagoddamnedminute," he exclaimed as something clicked in his mind. "A-are you trying to tell me that Eric or Wes is one of your former lovers?!?" He knew his face must mirror his shock and disbelief. _-Jase – and Wes? Or Jase and Eric?!? Aw, man!- _

 

   "I'd hardly call what we did being 'lovers'," Jason muttered, "but if you mean did I have sex with one of them, then … yes." He sighed. "It was only once, and years ago, but …"

 

   A dim memory seeped to the forefront of Tommy's rather stunned mind. _-Jason arriving late at NASADA. Him greeting all the guys as we stood in one line. Jason pausing as he came up to Wes and  Eric and saying …'some of you I know more than others'. Shit, how could I have missed that?-_

"So _that's_ what you meant by your remark before we went to the moon," Tommy said slowly. "It kinda went over my head then, but maybe I should've realized …" With a shudder, he inhaled. True, his mind had been occupied at the time by that little thing of having to save the Earth from destruction, but still … He reined in his trying-to-run-amok emotions and forced a calm he didn't feel into his voice as morbid curiosity got the better of him.

 

   "Who was it? Eric, or Wes?"

 

   "Does it matter?" Jason asked quietly, still unable to meet Tommy's eyes.

 

   "N-no. Not really. But now I'd like to know," Tommy admitted softly. Perversely, seeing the discomfort the situation was causing Jason did a lot to calm his churning nerves. He had no trouble believing that whatever had occurred between him and Eric or Wes was over; Jason would never have started a relationship with _him_ if he'd been otherwise involved. Determinedly, he squashed the feeling of jealousy lurking at the back of his mind, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. _-I'm not going to cheapen what we share by completely unfounded suspicions!- _

"If only to prevent me from looking for clues every time I or we run into either or both of them at Bio-Lab," Tommy joked weakly. "Even if we don't _plan_ on meeting them two weeks from now, it might still happen, y'know, as they're going to be involved in the project as well – and I'd like to be prepared." He reached out and lifted Jason's chin. The troubled look in the midnight-dark eyes just begged to be chased away with a kiss which Tommy didn't hesitate to give.

 

   "I love you, Bro, and anything you might tell me about your past won't change that," he promised. "It's just, you now have me kind of wondering which one of 'em is into guys," he smiled. "Please?"

 

   There was no way Jason could resist that kiss, the soft words or the warm look Tommy bestowed on him, and he found he could still smile. Somewhat shakily, yes, but no matter. He tried for some levity of his own.

 

   "You sure you don't want to guess?"

 

   Tommy gave him his best mock glare. "Don't push it, Bro; I'm still trying to get over the shock that I'm about to meet an ex of yours," he grumbled, then played along anyway. "If I had to base a guess on your personality and on what I know of them, I'd have to say Wes," he ventured, but Jason shook his head no.

 

   "Nope. It was Eric," he confessed with a sigh.   

 

   Tommy whistled softly. Somehow, he couldn't quite process the idea of the tough-as-nails, edgy Quantum Ranger in bed with Jason; they seemed too different, too out of tune with each other. _-Never mind that never in a million years I'd have pegged Eric as gay. Or bi. Whatever.- _

A sudden realization made Tommy squirm just a little. _-Like I thought until recently that I was completely straight? Um. Yeah.- _

"Wow," he breathed, covering his embarrassment over his momentary memory lapse. "Eric? Really? How did _that_ happen – if you want to tell me, that is," he amended hastily. "I don't want to pry, or anything …"

 

   "I know." Relieved that Tommy seemed not too upset over his disclosure, Jason slowly began to relax. When all of his tensed-up muscles had loosened again, he picked up his wine and drained the glass for fortification. "Okay, I'll tell you," he decided at length. "If you're sure you're ready for it; it's not exactly one of my finest moments," he warned.

 

   Tommy's eyebrows rose. _-Oh-ho!-_ "Now you've made me _really_ curious." He quirked his lips in a lopsided smile as Jason groaned in dismay. "Spill it, Bro."

 

   With a sigh, Jason scooted up until his head and shoulders were resting comfortably against the padded headboard and started to talk.

 

   "It happened back on my 21st birthday, in early 2001," he began. "My last year of college, as you know, and I wanted to do something, well, special for the occasion …"

 

\---

 

   "ID, please."

 

   The guy guarding the entrance to the Blue Oyster Club sounded rather bored, as if he'd been repeating the same thing time and again. Which he probably had. With an inward shrug and smile, Jason fished his driver's license out of his wallet and handed it over. Watchdog Guy checked his date of birth, then looked up with slightly more interest.

 

   "Happy birthday."

 

   "Thanks," Jason replied, his smile growing.

 

   "Are you sure you want to come in _here_? If it's just your first legal beer you want, there's other places I could recommend …"

 

   Jason shook his head. "I don't drink beer … and here is _exactly_ where I want to be." It had taken some very quiet research and hushed word-of-mouth information until he'd found out about the club, and no way was he going back now that he'd finally screwed up his courage enough to come. He met the guy's sharpened gaze steadily. The man briefly pursed his lips, then nodded.

 

   "As long as you're sure."

 

   "Trust me, I am," Jason said firmly. He held out his hand for his license, and with a shrug the bouncer handed it back,

 

   "In that case, have fun."

 

   Nodding, Jason went past him into the dimly-lit hallway. "I sure hope so," he murmured to himself. He reached the door to the bar and despite his resolve had to fight down a case of last-minute nerves. It had been too long since he'd had the kind of 'fun' he was after, and he figured that the Blue Oyster was the perfect place to find it. The bar was down in the harbor district, and it was unlikely he'd run into any friends or acquaintances here. Nor would anything get back to his parents. So why was he procrastinating? _-No time like the present!-_ Squaring his shoulders, he pushed down the notion that maybe a patently gay bar might be more than he could handle and opened the door.

 

   Inside, he waited for a few seconds so that his eyes and ears could adjust to his surroundings. There were booths and tables, most of them already filled, several couples gyrating on the dance floor, and a bar at the far end. The music was very much to his liking – a driving, hard beat that crept directly into his blood. Once he'd gotten used to the muted light, he had a perfect view of everything and managed to make his way to the bar without mishap. He barely stopped himself from checking out the other patrons; there would be more than enough time once he'd purchased a drink. He caught the eye of the woman behind the counter. Since the bouncer at the door had let him inside, the bartender naturally assumed he was legal and cheerfully asked his preference.

 

   "Do you have some dry red wine?" Jason asked; he hadn't been lying about not drinking beer. Mainly because he found the bitter taste not to his liking. The barkeep checked her supplies.

 

   "Yeah … nothing too fancy, but if a California Red is okay?" She named a well-known vintage.

 

   "Sure." It was what his host family in Geneva used to call a supermarket brand, but it'd be reasonably cheap, was quite drinkable and besides – he wasn't here to titillate his palate.

 

   _-Now some titillating of another kind … that I wouldn't mind at all!-_

Jason paid as he received the goblet, then sought out a place at the far end of the bar and leaned against the rail, his back towards the mirrored row of bottles. From this vantage point he could watch and observe … and _be_ seen and observed. Which he was hoping for; he wasn't feeling _quite_ brave enough to make a first move. _-Not that there's anyone here yet who looks promising …-_ Slowly, he sipped his wine, soon finding himself tapping a foot to the music's pervading rhythm.

 

   There was one couple on the dance floor that was particularly pleasant to watch; Jason did so while he finished his drink and ordered a refill. The wine wasn't potent enough to make him drunk, but the second glass started to give him a little buzz nonetheless. He didn't mind; today _was_ his  birthday after all, and if he chose to celebrate by getting tipsy in a bar like the Blue Oyster, that was nobody's business but his own. _-Although I hope that's not all I'll be getting tonight!-_

The music changed to a slower beat, something jazzy with lots of saxophone, and the couple he'd been watching moved into a loose embrace, still swaying in tune. Jason whistled appreciatively; not only were both dancers very attractive, they were also putting on quite a show – whether deliberately or not, Jason couldn't say. Not that he cared. He was taking another swallow of his wine when suddenly a voice spoke up next to him.

 

   "You're not gonna get lucky with either of them, you know."

 

   Slowly, he turned his head. The speaker was a young man of about his own height, slightly less muscular but still strongly built. His dark hair looked as if he was just growing out a buzz cut; Jason had seen enough military personnel around San Diego to make an educated guess that the stranger had left the service not too long ago. He seemed to be a few years older than Jason, although he'd still consider them contemporaries, and his dark eyes looked vaguely Asian. The look in them did its best to appear casual, but the stranger couldn't quite mask the fact that he was most definitely checking Jason out.

 

   Which suited Jason just fine; he felt his pulse quicken.

 

   "I know. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the scenery, does it?" he replied calmly, returning the not-so-covert interest with a frank appraisal of his own. He smiled his approval of what he saw.

 

   The stranger smiled back, his eyes beginning to glitter. "That the only scenery you're interested in?" He nodded towards the dancers as he lifted a bottle of beer to his mouth and took a swallow.

 

   Jason grinned, letting his eyes wander from the two women to the other dancers. This time, he lingered on a male couple with matching wardrobe, hair color and haircuts. They were both blonds, slender rather than athletic, but still nicely built. "Those two look interesting, too," he murmured. "If you go for the pretty-boy type, that is."

 

   "Meaning you don't?"

 

   Jason shrugged. Truth be told, he found this man's hard edginess far more attractive, but … it wouldn't do to appear too eager. "I don't really have a 'type'," he said. Which was almost, but not quite a lie; the type he _wanted_ , deep down in the dark recesses of his mind where dreams and fantasies lived, had dark hair and eyes just like this stranger, but not black – no, more like rich, dark chocolate. He also had a name.

 

   _-Tommy …-_

No. This was neither the time nor place to be thinking about his best friend. Tonight was … recreational.

 

   The ex-soldier nodded. "Neither do I," he murmured, taking another mouthful of beer. "Dark, blond, redhead … it's all the same to me." He gave Jason a sharp look. "But I'd definitely go for _that_ kind of, uh, scenery. Below the neck, anyway." He jerked a thumb at the two blond dancers.

 

   _-Ah. Okay.-_ "Well, personally I like them _and_ the others," Jason stated, meeting the other's glance steadily. "That a problem for you?"

 

   The man snorted. "Nah." He finished his beer and signaled for another. As he waited, he apparently came to a decision. "I'm Eric." He held out his hand.

 

   Without hesitation, Jason grasped it with his own and shook once. "Jason. Pleased to meet you, Eric."

 

   They saluted each other with their drinks. All unspoken, they'd come to an agreement, Jason knew – but he was content to take it slow from here on out.

 

   _-We'll finish our drinks … maybe have another … I don't think Eric wants to dance; he doesn't seem the type. Pity, really; it's my kind of music. Oh well. But talk a little more – yeah, that we can do. And after the talking … we'll see.-_

 

   Trying not to let anticipation run amok, Jason leaned back against the bar once more. He grinned at Eric. "So tell me – what's an ex-military guy doing here in San Diego?"

 

   Eric's eyes sharpened. "Who says I'm ex-military?"

 

   Jason smiled. "Not who, what. Little things – your posture, your alertness, the way you're scanning the room as if you're either expecting an attack or a shore patrol showing up  … and the fact that your hair is growing out. I kinda doubt a commanding officer would let you get away with that cut if you were still in."

 

   "And you know that how?"

 

   "It's rather hard not to," Jason shrugged. "What with the Marine base and the other facilities here … besides, from what I've heard, any active service personnel found in here by the MPs would be facing … 'consequences'." His emphasis wasn't lost on Eric, who nodded grudgingly. "You don't look as if you cared for that to happen."

 

   Eric toyed with his bottle. "You're very observant."

 

   "Thanks – I think." He smiled to take the sting out of his words. "You kind of have to be in a fight."

 

   The almond-shaped eyes narrowed. "What would you know about fighting?"

 

   _-More than you'll ever know!-_ Jason thought, his mind flashing back to his Ranger days. But he couldn't say that, could he? So, he shrugged again. "I've studied karate most of my life," he said casually. "In martial arts, if you don't pay attention, you lose."

 

   Those black eyes suddenly lit up with a different kind of interest. "Ain't that the truth. Which style of karate?"

 

   Jason couldn't believe his ears. Not many people knew karate even _had_ different styles – unless they were practicing it themselves. Was it possible he'd not only met an attractive guy who seemed willing to get better acquainted _- Much better, I hope!- _ but who also shared one of his passions? Time to test the waters. "Several, actually. Some classic Okinawa, Shotokan, Goju-ryu …"

 

   Eric whistled and nodded, easily identifying the references. "I'm more into Kyokushin myself."

 

   _-So I was right! Cool!-_ "Makes sense, especially in real combat."

 

   "Uh huh. But combat is a long way from the dojo."

 

   "I would imagine. Hard to find an opponent in a true fight who sticks to the rules, huh?"

 

   The dancers forgotten, within minutes the two were deeply involved in a discussion about fighting styles and their applications off and on the practice mats.

 

\---

 

   It was quite a while until the two had exhausted their topic; when they finally wound down, Eric cast a glance towards the still-crowded dance floor. "Your 'scenery' seems to have left," he remarked idly. "Both of 'em."

 

   Jason took a quick look, then shrugged. "Yeah, well, I doubt either of them would've been interested in meeting someone new," he said casually. "They seemed to be heavily into the couples thing."

 

   "And you're not?"

 

   Briefly, a vision of himself with Tommy flashed once more before Jason's inner eye, but he chased it away with the ease of long practice. Tommy was still very much involved with Kat, and his wishful thinking that Tommy possibly might feel the same about him didn't belong here. Not when he was beginning to have serious hots for Eric.

 

   "Not at this time." He finished his fourth glass of wine, feeling the pleasant buzz it gave him intensify. Mentally, he kicked himself. _-Careful. I don't wanna get drunk. Not tonight.-_ He smirked at himself. _-Tonight, I wanna get laid. By Eric, if I can.-_  "In the future … who knows? If I ever find the right person … "

 

   "Hm."

 

   Jason puzzled over the non-committal grunt, but decided to let it slide. It was none of his business whether Eric was against long-term relationships on principle or if one had turned sour on him in the past. Before he could ask, though, Eric snorted.

 

   "You're hardly likely to find relationship material in a place like this anyway. This is strictly for, uh, fun."

 

   "Too true. Hell, I don't even know whether my right person is gonna be a guy or a girl," Jason said lightly. "And there seem to be mostly guys … _do_ you get a lot of women in here?" Jason asked.    

Eric shrugged. "Beats me. I'm from out of town." After a moment he added, "So I guess you've never been here before either."   

 

"No." Jason grinned. "I'm a student at San Diego U ... today's the first day I'm old enough to get in." 

   

"Your birthday? And I just got a new job here in California." 

   

"Congratulations." 

      

"Thanks, ditto." Eric smiled slowly and lazily, his eyes traveling over Jason again at the same unhurried pace. "What do you say we ... celebrate?"    

Jason's breath caught as Eric's tongue slipped briefly over the narrow lips. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to feel it on him – his mouth, his skin, hell, his whole body.     "Celebrating sounds good," he murmured huskily, returning the heated look with interest. "What exactly did you have in mind?"    

Eric's laugh was low and promising. "Let's blow this joint and I'll show you."    

"Fine by me." 

Together, they slid off the bar stools they'd appropriated hours ago and went towards the exit, Jason in the lead. They had to cross a corner of the dance floor, and as they wended their way through the dancers, he felt a hand touch his butt. Surprised but hardly shocked, he looked back over his shoulder towards a smiling Eric. The dark eyes glittered, and he squeezed once. Instinctively, Jason flexed his cheeks, knowing that the other could feel the muscle movement even through the black denim of his jeans. 

"Not here," he cautioned, implicitly accepting the challenge/invitation.    

"Okay," Eric agreed with apparent calm. However, because he'd been looking for it Jason could tell that his breathing wasn't quite as steady as it had been. Someone bumped into him, sending him stumbling a little towards Eric, and he took the opportunity to do a little squeezing of his own under cover of the crowd. The bulge at the front of Eric's jeans was more than promising.    

"I think I know just the place," Jason murmured as inspiration struck.     

"Then lead on, MacDuff."    Conveniently, the throng of dancers parted just then, and the two made their way outside.   

**_[3] Some More Than Others_ **

 

   "Can you believe Dad wanted to set up a meeting with Sutkin's for tomorrow morning?" Wes unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, tossing it casually on a chair in Eric's bedroom. He shook his head. "I swear, sometimes that man forgets what day it is. Anyway, I got him to change it to next week sometime. I bet Sutkin was relieved not to have to work on a weekend, too."

 

   "I bet," Eric said.

 

   "I mean, I put in a double shift Wednesday, and I know you were on a case pretty late the last couple of nights. We need a break."

 

   "Uh huh."

 

   Wes had peeled off his undershirt and was unbuckling his jeans. "Been a long week for both of us, I guess. Sleeping late in the morning is gonna be sweet."

 

   "Sweet, yeah."

 

   After stepping out of his pants and tossing them on top of his shirt, Wes came closer. With a grin, he leaned in enough to kiss Eric gently but lingeringly. "Even sweeter when I'm here, sleeping with you. Bad enough I can only stay over once a week; I wasn't going to let Dad get me out of bed early."

 

   "Yeah." Eric returned the kiss and deepened it, faintly surprised at his own sudden sense of urgency as he slid his tongue between Wes's lips and his hands down Wes's back and into his underwear to cup the roundness of his backside. While they usually managed to find one or two opportunities during the week to have sex, the one night when Wes usually stayed over was entirely a different and better thing, with time for leisurely - and repeated - lovemaking, going to sleep together, waking up together, laughing at the way Wes's hair was always so messed up in the morning, arguing about whether to cook or go out for breakfast, sometimes spending the next day just hanging out, doing nothing in particular ...

 

   "Mmm." Wes pulled back a little, still smiling. "You know, I was starting to wonder if something's wrong."

 

   "What do you mean?"

 

   "Well, by this time you're usually naked, in bed, and telling me to hurry up. Tonight you're not even undressed yet."

 

   Eric glanced down at his own clothed body. "Oh yeah. Sorry. Guess I'm tired."

 

   "Don't apologize. Get to it."

 

   By the time Eric had undressed and put away his clothes Wes was in the bed, only a sheet over him, watching with an expression that usually would have driven any other thoughts from his mind. But tonight those thoughts refused to leave as he quietly crossed the room and climbed into his own side of the bed.

 

   If Wes noticed his hesitation he gave no sign, only moved closer and raised a hand to pull Eric's head to his for another kiss, both tongues exploring, along with two sets of hands eagerly reaching and stroking smooth skin and firm muscle. This time it was almost enough to make Eric forget what he had resolved to do, but not quite. And he knew he'd better do it now, as Wes pushed him onto his back and began to slide down his body, licking and nipping. Being fair to Wes was what this was all about, after all, and it certainly wouldn't be fair to him to have sex when another guy was on Eric's mind.

 

   "Wes, wait."

 

   Lust-dazed blue eyes blinked up at him. "Wait? What for?"

 

  "I - I can't do this."

 

   Wes glanced down, and then back up with an expression that was both puzzled and amused. "Looks to me like you can."

 

   "That's _not_ what I mean. We need to talk about something."

 

   "Okay." With a sigh, Wes moved back up and lay down on his side, facing Eric. "I kinda thought something was on your mind all evening. Gotta say you've got a hell of a sense of timing, though." His brows creased in concern when Eric didn't answer, and only stared up at the ceiling. "What's wrong?"

 

   "Is Jason Scott going to come here with Tommy?"

 

   "Huh?" Wes frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"

 

   "Wes ..." Eric's gaze moved to focus on his face. "If he does come here, and we all get together like you want - there's something you should know first."

 

   "Well? What is it?" Wes prompted after waiting a moment.

 

   "It's that ..." Eric shifted uncomfortably and avoided his eyes again. "I've met Jason before."

 

   "Yeah." Wes gave him a baffled look. "So did I, remember?"

 

   "Before that."

 

   "You did?" Suddenly Wes snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. "Hey, that crack he made about knowing some of us better than others. He was looking at you, wasn't he?"

 

   "Yeah, he was."

 

   "So - you met him before that? How? How long before? And how come you never told me?"

 

   "Wasn't any reason to tell you before now."

 

   "No reason? But why ..." Wes paused and stared as the half-guilty, half-embarrassed expression on Eric's face suddenly began to look very familiar. It was the same way he had looked when he had told Wes about Nick. And if it was for the same reason ... "Wait a minute. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

 

   Eric sighed. "Yeah." He looked over and reached to put a hand on Wes's arm. "It was just one night, before I met you again. Didn't mean anything."

 

   "Oh." Wes frowned as he heard the hollowness of his own voice and saw Eric sigh and look away. Not a big deal, he told himself. Eric had never hidden the fact that he had been with other guys in the past. Of course, he had never said how many there had been, either. One of them had showed up already - Nick Tate had been Eric's boyfriend for a year when they were both in the Army, and his appearance at Bio-Lab had caused a few problems for them. And now, another one? "How many guys have you slept with, anyway?" Wes found himself asking.

 

   "I didn't sleep with them, exactly." But the feeble attempt at humor only got a frown from Wes. "Look, I don't know, okay?"

 

   Wes pressed on. "A guess? An estimate? A ballpark figure?"

 

   Eric turned dark eyes on him, completely serious now. "Does it really make a difference to you, Wes? If it was ten guys, would that be okay with you? How about twenty? What if it was a few dozen? Or hundreds, or thousands? Would that change things between us?"

 

   " _Thousands?_ Jesus, when did you have time for anything else?" They stared at each other for a few moments, eyes locked, Eric looking so defiant and at the same time so guilty and anxious that the whole thing suddenly struck Wes as bizarrely funny. Almost unwillingly, he smiled.

 

   "No, I didn't get around _that_ much," Eric said with a smile beginning to tug at his own lips. "Not that much spare time, and - I had a few standards, even then."

 

   "Good. I was starting to wonder how many more of your exes are going to show up at Bio-Lab." Wes reprimanded himself for the little sigh of relief he breathed - _Eric's right, it makes no difference. Or it shouldn't.-_ It also occurred to him that Eric had, typically, neatly avoided giving a real answer to the question - and maybe it would be better to leave it that way.

 

   "Very funny." Eric gave him a mock-scowl before his expression softened. "And since I came to Silver Hills there's only been you. Well, except that one night."

 

   "Jason?"

 

   "Right. Jason."

 

   Wes shook his head, trying to remember details about the dark-haired, powerfully built young man they had fought alongside so briefly. "Funny, I never would have figured him for gay."

 

   "He's bi, or that's what he said. And you didn't figure yourself for gay back then, either."

 

   "True. So - when was this?"

 

   "Right after I got the job with the Silver Guardians and moved here. Before I met up with you again."

 

   Wes moved a little closer so that they were face to face, propped his head on one arm, and draped the other over Eric's body. "Where did you meet him?" he asked.

 

   "San Diego."

 

   "San Diego? What were you doing there?"

 

   Eric stroked his hand up Wes's arm and let it rest on his shoulder. "Like I said, I had just gotten the job with the Guardians. They gave me two weeks to get moved and settled in before I had to report for training. I bought a car, found this house and signed the papers to buy it, bought some new clothes. I'd only gotten out of the Army a few weeks before, and broken up with Nick at the same time. It was - it was like my life was starting over, you know?"

 

   "Yeah, I understand," Wes said, moving his hand to brush affectionate fingers over Eric's back. "But what's that got to do with San Diego?"

 

   Eric shrugged, his eyes distant, perhaps seeing the lonely, angry young man he had once been, starting a new life in a new city with no idea of the twists and turns that life would soon take. "I had one more weekend before I reported to work. I knew the training would be tough and as a Guardian I'd be on call 24/7, so I wanted to have one last good time first, the only way I knew how back then. San Diego - that was to make sure I wouldn't run into anyone from the Guardians, or Bio-Lab." He smiled ironically. "I didn't want anyone I worked with to find out what I did for fun."

 

   "And you still don't," Wes observed, softening it with a smile.

 

   "Yeah, I still don't."

 

   "So you went to San Diego looking for - uh - a good time. How did you meet Jason?"

 

   Eric raised his head. "You don't really want to hear about this."

 

   "Sure I do." Wes moved in closer again, so that they could feel the warmth of each other's bodies. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, that's okay. But I'm curious, and I'm interested in - well, everything you've done, even this. Besides, if I'm going to be meeting up with Jason again, I'd like to know more about what happened between you two."

 

   "Well ..."

 

   "Go on. You were in San Diego. What happened then? How did you meet Jason?"

 

   Eric looked searchingly into Wes's eyes and found enough sincerity there to reassure him, and to make him grateful once again for his partner's easygoing nature, so different from his own. "Okay, if you're sure," he said with a slight smile. "You know me, always prepared. I had looked up the names of a few gay bars before I left, so I knew exactly where to go ..."

 

\---

 

  _The Blue Oyster Club._

 

   The sign was the first thing that caught Eric's eye as he turned around after closing the door of his new - well, used, but the first automobile he had ever owned - car. It wasn't like the place had 'gay bar' next to its name in the phone book, but some investigation on the Internet before this trip had turned up that information. Looked like a decent place, a lot classier than some of the dumps he had visited on past searches for a fast, easy, and uncomplicated good time.

 

   So why was he hesitating? Not like anything about this was new - all he had to do was walk inside, get a beer, hang out at the bar for a while. Inevitably he’d see someone he liked, there’d be an exchange of glances - casual at first, then appreciative, then speculative - a smile or a nod of invitation, a little conversation. One or the other of them would suggest they find somewhere a little more private, and ...

 

   Wasn’t like he didn't want to, either. He had just gotten out of the Army, just gotten out of a relationship that had begun to get a little too close for comfort. Just moved to Silver Hills, just been hired by the Silver Guardians, just signed the papers to buy a house. His entire life had changed in the last few weeks, so who could blame him if he wanted to cut loose a little? And once he reported for training on Monday, it could be a good long while before there was time for much of a social life, not to mention the difficulty of arranging another weekend out of town like this one, which would conveniently keep that social life where no one at Bio-Lab or the Silver Guardians was likely to find out about it.

 

   No, this was what he wanted, all right; it was what he had come to San Diego for. With a rueful smile for the time he had just wasted standing there, Eric started for the door.

 

   Inside, he paused for a moment, feeling a heady rush of the old, familiar anticipation as his eyes scanned the large, dimly-lit space, reverberating with the deep bass thump of music whose tune he didn't know but whose primal rhythm was as familiar and energizing as his own heartbeat. More tables and booths than the smaller New York bars he had gotten used to. A big dance floor, already crowded. A bar along the back wall. A lot of good-looking guys and a few women here and there.

 

   Five minutes later Eric was propped on a stool at the bar, beer in hand, the thrill of the hunt percolating in his blood as he started to do some serious looking at the prospects in view. The couples dancing he ignored, they were taken, at least for the moment. But the guys at the bar, or standing around, were another matter.

 

   That one had a great body, with arms and shoulders revealed by a muscle shirt so tight it looked in danger of splitting. No, probably too vain and self-centered to be any good in the sack. Maybe the two over there, both blond and slender, wearing matching clothes and even matching haircuts, sitting with their heads together checking out the possibilities. No, a threesome didn't appeal to him, at least not tonight. Or the guy on the other end of the bar ... another blond. Damn, there were a lot of blond, probably blue-eyed guys here tonight.

 

   Not that he didn't _like_ blonds, exactly ... _-Too much like Nick?-_ Eric frowned at the question that had popped into his head. Ridiculous. Nick was over and done with, not even worth thinking about.

 

_-Or maybe too much like Wes?-_ That was even more ridiculous. Talk about over, or never was in the first place. Just because he might bump into the guy now that they were both living in Silver Hills was no reason to be thinking about him.

  
   As he was telling the similar images of Nick's and Wes's faces to get lost, a guy he hadn't seen in his previous look around signaled for the bartender's attention. - _Interesting,-_ Eric thought. Young but not too young, black hair, a nice face and an even nicer body: very well-muscled even by Eric's standards. The wine the kid ordered could have been a turnoff _\- thinks he's real classy, does he?-_ but Eric was in the mood for a challenge. This was more like it.

 

   The kid turned to look out at the dance floor, giving them the once-over. Eric shrugged inwardly. It was certainly worth a shot - well worth it, as he got up and moved down the bar, getting a closer look at a wide back, broad shoulders, and thick upper arms. He settled on another barstool and looked up to see the kid staring at one couple in particular - two women - very attractive, if you were into that kind of thing, but obviously not interested in anything but each other.

 

   "You're not gonna get lucky with either of them, you know," Eric said, just loudly enough for his voice to carry over the music.

 

   The kid turned his head, taking the time to give Eric a long, slow look from head to toe. Apparently he liked what he saw, judging by the way his dark brown eyes lingered and his mouth began to curve into a smile. "I know. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the scenery, does it?" he said.

 

   Eric returned the smile. "That the only scenery you're interested in?" He nodded at the dance floor and took another pull at his bottle of beer.

 

   Now the other man was grinning, obviously getting into the little verbal game they were playing. "Those two look interesting, too," he said, indicating another couple, this time the blond matching set Eric had noticed earlier. "If you go for the pretty-boy type, that is."

 

   "Meaning you don't?" Eric smiled again. He knew he was a good-looking guy, but a pretty-boy he definitely was not. Neither was the kid he was talking to, for that matter, which suited him just fine.

 

  The young man shrugged. "I don't really have a 'type'."

 

   "Neither do I. Dark, blond, redhead … it's all the same to me." Eric looked up. Just to set the record absolutely straight, so to speak ... Indicating the two blonds, he said, "But I'd definitely go for _that_ kind of, uh, scenery. Below the neck, anyway."

 

   "Well, personally I like them _and_ the others." The kid gave him a look that clearly defied Eric to object. "That a problem for you?"

 

   There was the silent echo of another voice from another time - Nick's voice - _"Both men and women ... I’m equal opportunity."_ Eric covered the moment of dismay with a snort, said a casual "Nah," gulped the rest of his beer and gestured to the bartender for another.

 

   What did he care if the kid was bi? Lots of guys were. No reason for it to remind him of Nick. Eric looked the other man over again as he waited for his drink to arrive, deciding that dark hair, blunt, handsome features, lots of muscles, and a hint of inner as well as physical strength were just what he wanted tonight. Definitely. And it was time to stop dancing around and get on with it. "I'm Eric," he said, holding out his hand.

 

   The kid took it with a firm grip. "Jason. Pleased to meet you, Eric." He raised his glass and smiled again as Eric lifted the bottle the bartender had set down for him. "So tell me – what's an ex-military guy doing here in San Diego?"

 

   The question caught Eric by surprise. "Who says I'm ex-military?"

 

   "Not who, what. Little things – your posture, your alertness, the way you're scanning the room as if you're either expecting an attack or a shore patrol showing up… and the fact that your hair is growing out. I kinda doubt a commanding officer would let you get away with that cut if you were still in."

 

   Somehow it bothered Eric to think he was that easy to read. "And you know that how?"

 

   "It's rather hard not to. What with the Marine base and the other facilities here … besides, from what I've heard, any active service personnel found in here by the MPs would be facing … 'consequences'." With the memory of years of hiding his off-base activities from anyone in the military who wasn’t inclined the same way, Eric had to nod as Jason went on, "You don't look as if you cared for that to happen."

 

   The reminder of one of the unpleasant aspects of his military service was not entirely welcome. Eric frowned at his bottle of beer. "You're very observant."

 

   "Thanks – I think." Jason was smiling again when Eric looked up. "You kind of have to be, in a fight."

 

   "What would you know about fighting?" Eric asked skeptically. Not that Jason didn’t look tough, but he also didn’t strike Eric as the kind who got into fights.

 

   The kid seemed about to smile, and then shrugged. "I've studied karate most of my life. In martial arts, if you don't pay attention, you lose."

 

   Interesting. Interesting enough to take Eric's mind off finding the fastest way to get Jason alone and out of his pants. "Ain't that the truth. Which style of karate?"

 

   The kid’s face brightened with enthusiasm. "Several, actually. Some classic Okinawa, Shotokan, Goju-ryu …"

 

   Eric whistled, impressed despite himself. "I'm more into Kyokushin myself."

 

  "Makes sense, especially in real combat."

 

   Like this kid knew anything about real combat ... still, he knew his martial arts, that's for sure. The topic was good for quite a while, a good bit longer than Eric had planned on spending before the two of them got down to business, but finally the conversation hit a lull. He glanced at the dance floor, skimming the crowd for either of the couples they had started that conversation with. "Your 'scenery' seems to have left," he observed. "Both of 'em."

 

   Jason shrugged after a quick look. "Yeah, well, I doubt either of them would've been interested in meeting someone new. They seemed to be heavily into the couples thing."

 

   Eric refrained from mentioning the way the blond twins had been scouting for a possible third. "And you're not?"

 

   "Not at this time." A shadow seemed to cross Jason's face just for an instant as he gulped the last of his wine.

 

   An ex-boyfriend? Ex-girlfriend? Or someone he wished was a boyfriend or girlfriend? Eric hid a knowing smile. Everyone had the one who got away, the one who never was, the one they really wanted - while they made do with the one who was there. _-And I’m no exception,-_ he had to admit as Wes’s face surfaced from his memories.

 

   "Hm," was all he said in response as Jason looked up at him. Suddenly restless, he glanced around the place again, anxious to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted. "You're hardly likely to find relationship material in a place like this anyway. This is strictly for, uh, fun."

 

   "Too true. Hell, I don't even know whether my right person is gonna be a guy or a girl." Jason’s tone was light. "And there seem to be mostly guys … _do_ you get a lot of women in here?"

 

   "Beats me. I'm from out of town." Sounded like all this was new to the kid. "So I guess you've never been here before either."

 

   "No," Jason said with another grin. "I'm a student at San Diego U ... today's the first day I'm old enough to get in."

 

   So Eric had been right - Jason _was_ young, perhaps not very experienced, but old enough to know what he was doing. "Your birthday? And I just got a new job here in California."

 

   "Congratulations."

 

   "Thanks, ditto." And this gave him the perfect opening. Eric smiled again, taking his time as he looked Jason up and down, this time making no effort to hide exactly what he was thinking. "What do you say we ... celebrate?"

 

   "Celebrating sounds good." Jason's deep voice had dropped a notch in pitch, and his eyes had gone excitingly smoky. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

 

   As if they didn't both already know. Eric laughed. "Let's blow this joint and I'll show you."

 

  "Fine by me."

 

   They made sure their drinks were paid for and tips left, and got to their feet. Jason led the way across a corner of the dance floor, slowing as first one couple and then another moved into his path. Close behind him, Eric found himself staring down at that enticingly round, firm butt that he planned to have his hands on very soon ... Tempted, he let his fingers brush across the denim of Jason's jeans. The kid looked back, eyes widening slightly but not objecting as Eric grabbed another, bolder feel.

   "Not here," Jason said. The shy type, apparently.

 

   "Okay ..." Eric quickly revised his opinion of Jason's shyness when the other man collided with a pair of dancers, lurched slightly - and he felt an exploring hand grope his crotch.

 

   "But I think I know just the place," Jason murmured.

 

   "Then lead on, MacDuff." They broke free of the dancers and saw the door and the possibilities of the night ahead.

 

 

_**[4] Under the Boardwalk** _

 

   Tommy listened to Jason without interruption, although it nearly killed him not to ask the million-and-one questions whirling in his mind. Jason visiting a gay bar, picking up - or getting picked up by, it didn't matter which - a virtual stranger, deciding to have sex with him … it just didn't compute. It seemed as if he'd have to do some serious rearranging of the perceptions he'd had of his best friend and lover until tonight.

 

   That would have to wait for another day, though. He could clearly sense that Jason wasn't yet finished, that there was something else bothering him – and it most likely had to do with Eric. _-I don't think it's so much the fact that one of his former partners has shown up again … no, it must be something else. Only, what? Did he get hurt somehow? Not physically; Jase could always take care of himself. But otherwise? I gotta know.-_

First, though, Tommy needed to reassure Jason that he didn't condemn him for going to a gay bar – and remembering a little detail about the place showed him a way he'd hoped would help. Tommy forced a snicker that sounded almost natural.

"Forgive me, but … there really _is_ a club that has exactly the name of the gay biker hangout in all those old _'Police Academy'_ movies? Where the fall guys always ended up?" he asked.

 

   Jason's slightly hurt look over his reaction was slowly replaced by reluctant amusement. "Um, yeah," he nodded. "Man, I never made the connection until just now. No wonder the name seemed kinda familiar; it's why I chose the Blue Oyster Club over another."

 

   "But you didn't tango – or did you?" Tommy grinned, more easily now. To his relief, Jason laughed.

 

   "Not on your life!" Abruptly, he sobered again and looked aside. "Not on the dance floor, anyway. Once we left, though …"

 

    There would've followed a different kind of dance, Tommy knew. And he suspected there to be the reason for Jason's reluctance to see Eric again. _-Shit. I don't know how he managed to work with Eric during our mission – and not betray a single thing. I knew he has good control, but over something like this?-_

He draped one arm comfortably across Jason's middle and drew him closer, until their bodies touched full-length. The skin-on-skin contact was reassuring, and Tommy found the strength to ask what he must.

 

   "What happened next?"

 

   The gratitude washing over Jason's face showed him he'd said the right thing. With a sigh, Jason continued.

 

\---

 

   Once outside the bar, Jason and Eric stopped at the curb and looked at each other. It was too dark to see properly, but Jason was pleased to hear a suppressed eagerness to match his own in Eric's voice.

 

   "So, any suggestions where we could go celebrate?"

 

   For an instant, Jason wondered whether they shouldn't just take their horny selves to the alley behind the Blue Oyster Club, but he rejected the idea almost right away. _-Too public, and that'd be taking 'casual recreation' way too far. I'm about to have sex with a guy I've never seen before in my life; no need to make it any more_ _clichéd than this already is!-_ Suddenly, the situation struck him as more than slightly unreal. Here he was, Jason Lee Scott, bisexual, an ex-Ranger and future _teacher_ , for cripes' sake, planning to get up close and _very_ personal with an ex-military guy he'd met at a gay bar only hours ago. It boggled the mind.

 

   It was also exciting as hell.

 

   He gulped down a threatening panic attack. "The beach is not too far down that way," he pointed. "There's a parking lot close to the waterfront; it should be more or less deserted this time of night …" Jason knew his quickened breath betrayed his excitement, but the tightness in his jeans was too demanding. He _wanted_ what Eric was offering him, and he wanted it _now_!

 

   "Sounds perfect," Eric murmured. "Let's go." He reached into his pocket and dangled his car keys invitingly. "My car, or yours?"

 

   Jason shook his head. "Don't have one; besides, I walked here."

 

   "A California guy who knows how to walk? Wow," Eric jibed. "Didn't know such a critter existed."

 

   Jason snorted. Maybe if his parents were wealthier he might own a car, but as long as he couldn't afford to buy one himself, he'd make do with his trusty motorcycle. "Yeah, well, I was planning on having a drink or two anyway, and no way am I risking a DUI citation," he retorted just a tad sharply. "Are you sure _you're_ safe to drive?"

 

   It was a valid concern; Eric _had_ matched him drink for drink.

 

   "First of all, I know my exact capacity and yeah, I'm still good," Eric said after a slight pause. "Believe me, I don't want to report to my new boss with a citation, either. After we started, um, talking, I switched to non-alcoholic; hadn't you noticed?"

 

   Jason shook his head, relieved. "Nah. I don't drink beer, so I didn't pay much attention to the brew you had. Okay."

 

   Eric nodded, accepting the explanation. "Right. So, shall we?" He jiggled his keys again.

 

   _\- Oh boy. Crunch time - am I really agreeing to having gay sex with a stranger?-  _The question popped unbidden into Jason's mind, but he answered himself right away. _-A hot stranger who seems decent enough –  and who is looking better by the minute. Shit, it's my birthday; I wanted to live on the edge tonight, so … why not ?- _Deciding that if he really wanted to be reckless just this once there was no sense in stopping halfway, Jason shrugged.

 

   "Sure, what the hell." He waited until Eric had unlocked the doors, then climbed into the no longer new, but well-kept and neat car.

 

   Eric crossed to the driver's side, got behind the wheel and buckled up. As soon as the interior light switched off, the atmosphere between the two men seemed to charge up even more with sexual tension, and Jason felt his mouth go dry with anticipation of … something.

 

    _-Nerves. Danger. Sex.-_

He liked the feeling.

 

   The engine started with a small cough, and Eric asked quietly, "Which way?"

 

   Closing his eyes for just a second, hoping one last time he wasn't about to make a big mistake, Jason collected his wits with an effort. "Down two blocks, take a left, then a right at the third traffic light," he instructed.

 

   Neither man spoke as Eric eased the car into the sparse nighttime traffic. As soon as he'd taken the right turn, they could already see the glint of water maybe half a mile ahead.

 

   "Once you reach the street parallel to the beach, go left again; the parking lot is a couple dozen yards down," Jason directed next. His heart was beating a mile a minute the closer they came to their destination, and it took every bit of control he had not to squirm in order to ease his nerves … as well as the throbbing between his legs. A covert glance towards Eric's lap showed a promising bulge there, too, and he hid a triumphant grin. _-Good, I'm not the only one who can hardly wait!-_

The parking lot was indeed blessedly empty. Eric guided his vehicle to the far end, as much out of view of the nearest house and the lone street light's reach as possible, yet still took care to park correctly. "Better not give anyone a reason to come for a closer look," he explained in reply to Jason's amused chuckle

 

   "Makes sense," Jason nodded, and had to swallow as Eric turned off the engine and unhooked his seat belt. Hoping the sudden clumsiness of his fingers wasn't too noticeable, he followed suit. As his eyes got used to the darkness, he could see that Eric had turned towards him and draped an arm across the seat's back. The black eyes glittered.

 

   "Last chance, Jason," Eric murmured. "If you want to back out after all, tell me now, and no hard feelings. If you don't …"

 

   Feeling as if he'd just reached the edge of a high cliff, Jason barely hesitated. Returning the heated look with one of his own, he chose to step into the chasm before him.

 

   "You'll do what?" he asked huskily, with more than just a hint of provocation.

 

   Eric's smile turned predatory, and he raised his free hand towards Jason's neck. Fingers curled against the strong column, just below the ear, and he slowly dragged his thumb against Jason's lower lip, testing the moist inside. "How about this?"

 

   _-Two can play that game, buster!-_ "It's a start," Jason rasped, and let his tongue flick against the calloused pad of flesh. Eric's breath hitched, and his hand tightened. Jason could feel his own pulse hammering against the pressure of fingertips, but didn't care. "Is that all you're gonna do?"

 

   "You're playing with fire," Eric warned, moving closer.

 

   With a slow, wolfish smile of his own, Jason leaned sideways and forward so that his shoulder was braced against the seat. The movement brought his head within inches of Eric's mouth. "Maybe I like it hot-" The rest of his reply was smothered by hard lips as Eric kissed him with a low growl of desire and he plummeted off the cliff's edge straight into sheer lust.

 

\---

 

   The two kissed until they were breathless and then some more; tongues thrusting and teasing, tasting and exploring, claiming and demanding. Their hands weren't idle, either; in a frenzy of movement, they shucked jackets, grasped shoulders and kneaded muscular backs. Jason gasped with pleasure as Eric succeeded in tugging his shirt from his belt and slipped one hand underneath to his bare skin. In turn, he grabbed a fold of t-shirt and pulled upwards until he, too could touch Eric's chest without a barrier of cloth.

 

   More kisses, more frantic roaming, until Eric dropped one hand to Jason's crotch and squeezed the hard ridge straining against the denim. With a low moan, Jason thrust into his grip and hissed in anticipation as Eric groped for his fly. He couldn't _wait_ until those strong fingers would close around his throbbing flesh! He'd have reached for his partner as well if their cramped positions hadn't prevented it, but the steering wheel was seriously hindering their movements. His belt buckle rattled as it was undone, he could feel the brass button pop out of its hole; then Eric took hold of the zipper tab and began to work it downwards. Panting, Jason let his head fall back against the window as he tried to give Eric more room, but froze when out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of headlights coasting onto the parking lot.

 

   "Shit! Stop," he hissed, his voice growing more urgent as he recognized the black-and-white paint job – and a row of lights on the approaching vehicle's roof. He grabbed Eric's wrist. "Eric, it's the cops!"

 

   Yanked abruptly out of a lustful haze, Eric glanced over his shoulder, saw the truth of Jason's words and fell back with a sharp curse. "Fuck it!"

 

   Jason scrambled to rearrange his clothes. "You wish," he grinned cheekily, adrenaline and frustrated desire making him lightheaded. He chuckled at the outraged glare Eric sent his way as he also scooted back into a more decorous position and hastily ordered his clothing. "Relax; they haven't caught us."

 

   "Just barely," Eric grumbled. "What the hell are the cops doing here this time of night, anyway?"

 

   "Beats me," Jason murmured, fastening the last buttons. No time for the belt; luckily, his shirttails would cover that.

 

   A uniformed policeman was approaching them, flashlight in hand. He knocked on the car roof once, and with a sigh Eric rolled down his window. "Yes, Officer?"

 

   "Is everything okay here?"

 

   "Sure," Eric shrugged. "Why?"

 

   Jason nudged him sharply with his elbow. "Be nice, coz," he muttered, just loud enough that the policeman could hear. Then he leaned forward with a polite smile. "My cousin and I were just looking for a quiet place to talk, Officer," he fibbed smoothly. "And this parking lot seemed kinda ideal for a serious discussion …"

 

   "Don't you have anyplace else to talk this time of night?" the cop asked suspiciously, his eyes darting from one face to the other. "Like, at home?"

 

   Jason shrugged eloquently. "Wish we could," he said. "But our mothers … not to mention the rest of the family … it's our Aunt Edna's seventy-fifth birthday," he added with an ingenuous grin. " _Everybody_ is at the house. You know how that is, don't you?"

 

   To his relief, the cop grinned back. "Do I ever," he said, hesitated for a moment, then flicked off his torch. "Okay. Everything's fine, Joe," he called to his partner in the patrol car, who waved in recognition. Turning back to Jason and Eric, the officer looked at them sternly. "Still, I suggest you two take your 'discussion' elsewhere," he admonished them. "This area isn't all that safe at night, and you don't want to alarm the neighborhood watch, do you?"

 

   "No, of course not. Sorry, sir," Eric murmured. Jason nearly snickered out loud at the suppressed frustration he could detect in his voice. "Guess we didn't think."

 

   "Well, see that you do next time. On your way, then." The cop went back to the patrol car, but stood waiting at the door until Eric started the engine and slowly drove off. Only then did he climb back in. Watching in the rear view mirror, Jason heaved a sigh of relief as the police car went off in the opposite direction.

 

\---

 

   "Whew. That was close."

 

   "Yeah," Eric grunted, then slanted a quizzical look at his companion. "Aunt Edna? Cousins?"

 

   Jason grinned. "Well, it was the only thing I could think of off the cuff, and I figured we just might look enough alike in the dark to be related," he shrugged. Which was true; they were both dark-eyed, dark-haired, of similar body type ... at night, seated in a car as they were, they _could_ claim a faint resemblance.

 

   Grudgingly, Eric agreed. "I guess."

 

   "He bought it, anyway." Of course, they'd been lucky the officer hadn't asked for IDs, but Jason wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Apparently, neither was Eric.

 

   "That he did. Only, where to now?" He took one hand off the steering wheel and put it on Jason's thigh. "I usually finish what I start," he murmured, pressing down and skimming his fingers against Jason's barely-diminished erection. Jason shuddered, then forced himself to ignore the exciting pressure as best he could and took stock of their surroundings. They were following the shoreline, and right ahead of them was a small open area with a gazebo and benches grouped around flower beds. There also was a row of parking spaces. He touched Eric's arm.

 

   "See those parking meters? Pull over, they're free at night."

 

   "Okay." Smoothly, Eric parked his car once more and killed the engine. "Now what?"

 

   Jason unbuckled and opened his door. "Now, we walk." He slid out of the car and let the door fall shut behind him. "C'mon already," he urged, new excitement in his low voice.

 

   Slowly Eric followed suit. "Walk where?" he asked, locking up.

 

   Jason gestured across the street towards the beach. "Down that way."

 

   Eric's gaze followed his outstretched arm to where a dark structure was silhouetted against the lapping waves. There were no lights shining on the sand, and beneath the structure the shadows were deep and inviting. A slow, understanding smile formed around his mouth. "Under the boardwalk?" he guessed.

 

   "Yep," Jason replied. "Unless you think it's too cold out here."

   Spring was still a few weeks away, but the chill of winter had already left the air. Eric's smile widened into the beginnings of a leer. "It's warm enough, and I think we can make it feel even hotter … don't you?"

 

   "Oh yeah," Jason smirked back, raking his eyes once more over Eric's body. "Lots hotter."

 

   "Thought so." Eric gestured for him to take the lead, and together they crossed the street to the beach. Climbing over the low wall bordering the sidewalk, they trudged through the shifting sand until they reached the more firmly-packed tidal line. The soft crunch under their feet seemed loud in the stillness of the night as they walked towards the shadow cast by the boardwalk and turned their backs to the city's lights.

 

   Jason stopped at one of the main beams, a massive pole of wood that looked ideal to lean against and had the added advantage of at least partially preventing anyone from seeing them. Of course, he and Eric were both dressed in dark shades of blue, black and grey; it was unlikely that a casual passerby would notice them. There was just enough light that they could see each other; the air down here held a moist, salty tang and the structure's struts and supports loomed blackly against the ocean. Jason had trouble smothering a nervous titter.

 

   _-Jesus. Phallic symbols, anyone?-_ A thought that wasn't funny enough to share; besides, it brought back the urgency he'd experienced in the car earlier. A rush of blood to his groin followed right along, and he laid a hand on Eric's arm.

"How about we stay here?" he murmured, running his thumb against the inside of the other's elbow.

 

   Eric nodded curtly. "About time," he growled, then softened it with a lazy smile as he faced Jason who was already yea-close to fidgeting. For the moment, though, he kept his distance. Jason watched intently as Eric let his eyes wander from his hair all the way down to his boots, lingering on the way at his mouth, chest and stomach and longest on his hips before sweeping upwards again.

 

   To Jason, it felt as if he'd just been stripped naked by that heated gaze. It both fired his blood and sent a chill down his spine. He wanted more than just looks, he wanted to be touched in every spot Eric had just surveyed, wanted Eric's hands and lips and tongue taking that same leisurely journey all over his body. Then he wanted to do the same to him until they both reached their ultimate destination – the hot, moist cavern that was the other's mouth, waiting to be filled by silk-skinned steel and salty liquid.

 

   "What are we waiting for then?" he asked, almost trembling with need and anticipation. Jason braced his back against the beam and spread his legs slightly, boldly licking his lips as if he could already taste what was to come. "Let's finish." It was an offer nearly impossible to refuse.

 

   Eric certainly seemed unable to. He hissed sharply and took that last step separating them, close enough that their bodies came almost immediately into full contact. Jason moaned as their hips ground against each others', their erections chafing beneath the four-fold barrier of cotton briefs and denim. He slipped his hands around Eric's back, delving once more under the tight t-shirt to feel smooth, warm skin. Eric fumbled impatiently with the row of buttons on Jason's shirt and managed to push the fabric aside without ripping off more than a couple of buttons.

 

   Jason moaned quietly as the soft nighttime breeze caressed his exposed chest, then more loudly when experienced hands slid across his heated skin, skimming his pecs and abs until hard fingers came to a stop on his nipples and pinched.

 

   "Shit, yes!"

 

   "You like that, huh?"

 

   "Yeah …" His next moan was smothered by a demanding kiss, Eric's tongue thrusting into his mouth and tangling with his own until they were both breathing hard. His eyes drifted shut in a lustful daze when Eric started to kiss, lick and nip his way down his throat and twisted his nipples roughly, stopping just short of hurting him. Suddenly desperate to take a more active part, Jason slid a hand from the smooth-muscled back to Eric's belt, wiggling until he could get past the leather and denim to the tight buttocks underneath. He took a firm hold on the warm skin, pulling Eric's hips against his own and they both instinctively bucked against each other.

 

   Twin groans rose from both men, and Eric chuckled. "Oh yeah, like that. Come on …"

 

   "Shut up," Jason rasped, his deep voice made hoarse by desire. "Can't you do anything better with your mouth than talk?" He went nearly dizzy at the thought of having those knowing lips close around him.

 

   "Smartass," Eric muttered, but obliged with yet another hard, wet kiss. 

 

   The two were working each other into a frenzy as they continued to kiss, lick, squeeze, thrust and writhe. Eric was intent on opening Jason's fly again while Jason tried simultaneously to slide his trapped hand from the back of Eric's jeans to the front, to finally hold the hard length he knew was waiting there for his touch, when suddenly a clatter of steps on the planks right above their heads made them freeze.

 

   A smattering of youthful voices wafted down to them, and with a groan of frustration Jason slumped back against the wooden pillar.

 

   "Shit. I can't believe it!" He slanted a glance at Eric, who was cursing under his breath. The furious glare he sent upwards to where the voices were still coming from was almost enough to send Jason into uncontrollable giggles if he hadn't shared the sentiment.

 

   "What is it with this town and interruptions, anyway?" Eric demanded to know. "Can't a guy get laid in peace around here?"

 

   Jason _did_ laugh at that, albeit quietly; he didn't want to risk being overheard and have someone come investigate. "Guess not tonight," he murmured. "At least not in the great wide open."

 

   "Well, fuck!"

 

   "Couldn't agree more," Jason grinned, regaining his equilibrium as he felt his erection slowly subside. "Damn, we need a room with a door we can lock behind us if we ever want to finish this." Regretfully, he brushed across Eric's crotch as he withdrew his hand from his jeans. "And I do want to finish," he said, taking hold of Eric's head and drawing him into a slow, sensual kiss. When he was done, he licked teasingly across the narrow mouth.

 

   "Don't you have a hotel room we can use?"

 

   Eric stilled, his eyes taking on an expression Jason couldn't read in the faint light, then it was chased away by a rueful smile. "Yeah, but … I'd rather not go there," he murmured.

 

   "Why not? Right now, the idea of getting naked and sweaty with you on a nice, wide double bed, with a shower nearby, is almost as much of a turn-on as what we were doing just now," Jason urged persuasively. "Besides, we wouldn't risk getting sand in places we don't want."

 

   Much to his disappointment, Eric shook his head.

 

   "Only if you're in the mood to hear the guy next door snoring loud enough to wake the dead," he said lightly. "Took me ages to fall asleep last night over the racket he's making; if I hadn't been so tired when I came here late yesterday …" he let his voice trail off and shrugged expressively. "The walls between the rooms can't be much thicker than paper, and if we happen to get noisy … sorry, but I prefer not to have an audience, even if it's just someone able to listen in from another room."

 

   "Um, no," Jason agreed, blushing despite himself at the thought and hoping that Eric wouldn't notice. "Me neither."

 

   Eric was listening to the babble of voices from above. It had moved further out to the end of the boardwalk, but was still audible. "Sounds like a bunch of high school kids out to sneak a six-pack," he muttered. "Damn."

 

   "Which means they likely won't be leaving anytime soon," Jason sighed, finally letting go of Eric.  Reluctantly, he began to fasten his clothes.

 

   "Which also leaves our hard-ons raring to go and no place to go _to_ ," Eric growled as he followed suit. "Shit. This isn't what I'd planned for tonight."

 

   "Uh huh," Jason agreed absently, and Eric glanced at him quizzically.

 

   "What?"

 

   Jason met his eyes with a look that held a mixture of shyness, lust and determination.

 

   "I just may know a place," he murmured. "It's private, can be locked and has a shower and bed – if a smallish twin is good enough."

 

   "Hell, it's not as if I plan to actually _sleep_ on the thing," Eric smirked. "Do you?"

 

   "No," Jason answered, feeling his pulse quicken again as the heat between them flared up once more.

 

   "So, where is it?"

 

   For a second, Jason hesitated. He'd never done this before, the rules said he shouldn't, but he knew hardly anybody in the house heeded that particular rule anyway, so … with a deep breath he made his offer.

 

   "My dorm room. It's only a fifteen-minute drive from the harbor, my roommate said he was going out tonight, so … if it's okay with you, we could go there."

 

   Eric looked at him steadily for long moments that seemed like an eternity to Jason, then nodded his assent at last. "Sounds fine by me."

 

   "Okay," Jason murmured, decision made. He pushed himself away from the strut he was still leaning against and found himself caught in a tight embrace. Surprised, his eyes flew to Eric's.

 

   "Just so you don't forget what's waiting for you," the older man murmured and kissed him hard, at the same time pressing one hand firmly against his crotch. Jason felt himself grow erect once more within a heartbeat.

 

   He kissed Eric back and slipped in a grope of his own, his eagerness returning with a vengeance. "Right. Ditto," he gasped as his mouth was released from the thrusting tongue. They stared at each other for what seemed like a small eternity before letting go.

 

   "So what are we waiting for?" Eric demanded with glittering eyes.

 

   "Nothing. Come on." Determinedly, Jason stepped away from the temptation to finish things - _Right here, right now and damn the consequences!-_ and led Eric back to the car.

 

 

 

  _ **[5] Closed Doors**_

 

   "So - we headed back to the car, to drive to Jason's room."

 

   It was almost as if he could smell the ocean again on that beach in San Diego, hear the faint background murmur of waves on the sand and the closer sound of those unwelcome voices, and feel the cool breeze over the heat of kisses and a heady rush of lust that had driven out all other thought, as Eric let his voice trail off. But all it took was a glance at Wes's profile beside him, gazing up at the ceiling expressionlessly, to bring him crashing back to his bedroom in Silver Hills.

 

   "Hey, I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

 

   "For what?" Wes asked.

 

   "You didn't need to hear that." Eric propped his head on one hand, watching Wes's face, and hesitantly touched his partner's shoulder. Maybe it would have been better to refuse to say anything, even the edited version he had just finished telling Wes of that hot, dark night on the beach. But - he knew from experience that sometimes imagination would create scenes worse than the reality.

 

   "It's okay. I asked for it, after all." Wes shifted his eyes to Eric's, and tried to smile. He had known from the beginning of their romantic relationship what Eric had been like years ago, but this was the first time it had really sunk in - that the man he loved had spent years going to gay bars, picking up guys, and having sex with them in alleys, in bathrooms, in dark corners, wherever - and on beaches, apparently. Did it bother him? Yes, he had to admit that, at least to himself. Did it matter? Not as long as Eric wasn't doing it now.

 

   "It was a long time ago. Things were different then. I did things I wouldn't do now," Eric said, almost seeming to echo his thoughts. "But that was the last time. I was already changing, even if I didn't know it yet, and that night was part of it."

 

   "Yeah?" Wes reached up to take the hand Eric had left on his shoulder, and smiled. "So tell me the rest."

 

  "The rest. Well, like I said, we decided to go to Jason's dorm room."

 

  "Yeah ... Was what you told him the real reason you didn't want to go to your hotel - because of a noisy neighbor?"

 

  "No," Eric said. "I didn't want to bring him where he might find out my last name, and I didn't want to have to deal with him maybe wanting to sleep there. I ..." He gave a little snort of laughter. "I didn't want to bring a stranger to my room."

 

   "What's funny?"

 

   "It's just sorta - ironic, I guess, the way it turned out."

 

   "So tell me what happened."

 

   "Are you sure...?"

 

   "Yes, I'm sure. Go on."

 

   "We left the beach, and I drove him back to his college. To his dorm ..."

 

\---

 

   "Take a left here. It's the building on the right. Yeah, park anywhere."

 

   "Okay." Following Jason's instructions, Eric pulled into a small parking lot beside a rambling three-story building that loomed out of the darkness before them. He took a better look as he reached to turn off the ignition and noted that only a few of the windows were lit. "You sure it's okay for me to go in?" he asked.

 

   "Why should anyone stop you?" Jason flashed him a quick grin in the dim light as he opened his door. "You're my guest. Besides, you look like a student."

 

   "Thanks, I guess," Eric muttered. True, he wasn't much older than Jason and most of the other students here, although he felt as if a gulf much larger than a few years loomed between himself and them. Getting out and locking the door, he looked up again at the brick walls, half expecting them to be covered with ivy. "So this is what a college dorm looks like."

 

   "Haven't you ever been on a campus before?"

 

   "No. I lived in a dorm for a while in a prep school. Not college."

 

   "Yeah? Where was that?"

 

   "A little town north of here. You wouldn't know it." Eric shook off the reminder of Wes and started for the walkway at the side of the lot. "Well, are we going in or what?"

 

   "Yeah, we're going." Jason caught up with him, pointed, and then led the way to a side door almost hidden by a clump of bushes. He fished in his pocket for a key ring and unlocked it, went in and held the door for Eric. "We can take the stairs," he said.

 

   A minute later Jason was unlocking another door, one of a line along each side of a hotel-like hallway. He pushed it open, stuck his head in, then flipped on the light and looked back out at Eric. "Okay, the coast is clear," he said. "Come on in."

 

   Inside, Eric glanced over two twin-size beds, one on each side of the room; two small dressers, and two desks with various books strewn over them and on two shelves set on the walls above. It looked like exactly what it was; a room designed to house two people in reasonable comfort in as little space as possible. Another door opening off the short entranceway revealed a small but apparently private bathroom.

 

   "So - what do you think?" Jason asked.

 

   Eric shrugged. "A lot like the prep school dorm. Quieter, though."

 

   "A lot of the guys go home on weekends." Jason paused, watching him. "You didn't go to college at all?"

 

   Eric looked up sharply. "No. Something wrong with that?"

 

   Jason shrugged and smiled. "Of course not. You just seem like a smart guy to me. I was wondering why not."

 

   Eric snorted faintly. "Why? No money is why. That's why I enlisted - I like eating and having a roof over my head."

 

   "But you said you went to a prep school. Don't those cost money?"

 

   "Scholarship. Got taken away."

 

   "Oh. That's too bad. And - I guess your family couldn't afford college?"

 

   "My 'family' was long gone by then," Eric said shortly, in a tone he hoped would discourage more questions.

 

   Apparently it worked. "Sorry to hear that," was all Jason said.

 

   But now he had a pitying look on his face that Eric decided he didn't like. "I've done okay for myself," he muttered.

 

   "Obviously."

 

   Eric crossed the room to where Jason was leaning on one of the desks and stepped in close, shifting his weight to press his lower body against the other man's. All this talking - Jason's curiosity was just another sign that he hadn't done this kind of thing before. Eric had been willing to be considerate of his inexperience so far, but that went only up to a point - a point they had just reached. "Did you bring me here to get my life story or are we going to do what we came to do?" he growled. Without waiting for an answer he reached a hand up and curled his fingers around the back of that strong, thick neck, bringing them together into a harshly demanding kiss, thrusting his tongue into Jason's mouth as soon as it opened for him, feeling teeth grazing lips with bruising force.

 

   Jason responded, his arms closing around Eric's body and squeezing powerfully. The guy was strong, excitingly strong. Eric ran his hands over broad shoulders and down, bringing one between them. Jason shuddered as Eric explored his growing hardness, rubbed for a moment, withdrew long enough to grind their bodies together so Jason could feel him too, and then fumbled with the zipper.

 

   Then Jason was reaching down too, his hands pulling at Eric's belt, loosening it. They struggled with each other's clothing to the tune of their own rapid breathing. Finally Eric got the zipper on Jason's jeans worked open, and leaned back to unfasten his own.

 

   Jason straightened up from the desk and pressed against him again, his hands sliding under the back of Eric's pants and then pushing them down as far as he could. Eric reached inside Jason's underwear to finally touch and grasp a column of bare flesh, hearing him moan, sucked at his earlobe and trailed nips and kisses down his throat. A moment later Jason's hands were busy too, freeing Eric from his own underwear and encircling him with eager fingers.

 

   They spent perhaps a minute standing like that, stroking each other, both looking down to watch. Then Jason moved again, turning them so that Eric was pushed against the desk. He looked down again and back up, the tip of his tongue running over his upper lip. His voice was hoarse and abrupt as he said, "Do you want me to ...?"

 

   "Yeah, do it," Eric said, his own voice husky. He watched Jason slowly sink to his knees, his free hand wandering over Eric's chest and stomach on the way, until he leaned forward, hesitating only for a moment.

 

   Eric leaned back, resisting the urge to hold the dark-haired head bent before him. The kid wasn't the best he'd ever had, but he had a talented mouth, and lots of enthusiasm. And now, combined with the excitement they had built up on the beach - it was more than enough to bring him to the point of release in only minutes. He closed his eyes, muttered a breathless warning that Jason ignored, and held back all but a low groan as it hit, almost buckling his knees with its pent-up intensity.

 

  Turnabout was fair play ... When Jason climbed to his feet again Eric was still trying to catch his breath, but he reached down and stroked with expert fingers. Judging from the deep moan that produced and the way Jason was thrusting in response, it wouldn't take long - what he was doing would probably be enough, but he wanted the taste and the feel of it in more than his hand. Eric knelt, taking Jason into his mouth, not even minding much when blunt fingers ran through his hair and tugged him forward, once, twice ... and it was over, almost before he had gotten started.

 

   "Oh man," Jason gasped as Eric stood again a few seconds later and straightened his clothing. "That was - great."

 

   "Yeah, not bad," Eric said with a grin. "Fast, but - not bad." Even the quickness of it, after all that buildup, had been kind of a turn-on.

 

   "Uhm ..." Jason sounded almost shy. "I'm up for more. I mean ..." He glanced down at himself. "Give me a few minutes and I will be. How about you?"

 

   More? Eric could already feel the first stirrings of the urge to leave that usually followed these casual encounters - but as he took a second look at Jason's powerful body and handsome face, another stirring made itself known too. After all the delays and frustrations of the evening one quickie wasn't enough, especially when he might not get another chance for awhile. So why not? He could stay another hour or so; with the edge off they could take their time and make things more interesting. He nodded. "Sure, more sounds pretty good."

 

   "Mind if we take our clothes off this time?" Jason was grinning.

 

   Eric returned the smile and peeled his t-shirt off, watching Jason's eyes run appreciatively over his bared upper body, and then venture lower as he pulled off shoes, socks, and jeans, and finally briefs. He did some staring too, as the other man quickly stripped to reveal every inch of smooth, bronzed skin over the contours of hard muscles.

 

   "This bed's mine," Jason said, gesturing.

 

   Eric took a step, then stopped as his hand grazed a picture frame that had already been pushed to the edge of the desk during their previous activities. With a flash of metal, it tumbled to the carpeted floor and landed with a faint thud. Automatically, Eric stooped to pick it up. Standing again, he saw the picture was of Jason himself, looking several years younger, surrounded by five other smiling teenagers. One of them, a boy with long brown hair, was next to Jason with an arm slung over his shoulders.

 

   "Sorry," he said.

 

   "No harm done." Jason reached out to take it and looked down at it for a moment, his mouth momentarily turning into a hint of a frown before he laid it back on the desk - face down. "Just me and some friends from high school," he added.

 

   "Yeah, I guessed." The picture of that happy bunch of kids had cast an unexpected shadow over Eric's mood, with its image of the kind of friends that he had never had himself in school. Except for one - he had his own image of a warm smile and blue eyes, as vivid as any photograph. Deliberately, he replaced it with the sight of the bed as Jason pulled back the blanket, climbed onto it, and lay down looking at him expectantly.

 

   A moment and a couple of steps later he was stretching out on top of the sheets himself, relaxing before letting his hand wander to the expanse of that smooth chest. Eric ran a light finger downwards over firm flesh, tracing the midline of Jason's body, over his navel and following the faint trail of hair leading down. He could see some signs of life again already, and could feel them in himself.

 

   "You're in really great shape," Jason murmured, his own hand slowly skimming over Eric's shoulders and chest.

 

   "Thanks. So are you."

 

   "Gotta be, for martial arts. And sports. You must work out a lot too."

 

   Eric shrugged absently, his attention on a leisurely exploration of Jason's very impressive body from powerful arms to tightly muscled thighs. "When I get a chance. Wasn't a problem in the Army; there was always a gym I could use. My new job is gonna be good that way, too."

 

   "Yeah? What is it? Your new job, I mean."

 

   Eric frowned slightly. "It's - security work. Protection."

 

  "Interesting. Where?"

 

   "A company in Silver Hills ... What's with all the questions?" Eric's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

 

   Jason held up his hand. "Hey, I'm just curious. Just interested. I mean, don't you want to know something about someone when you're – uh ...?"

 

   "Fucking him?"

 

   "Well, yeah, I guess."

 

   "Why should I?" Eric said, frowning again at the echo of Nick's voice that intruded on his mind. _'I just don't like doing it with strangers ...'_

 

   "I just think it would be nice. Who knows, maybe we have something in common. Maybe we'd even like each other if we got to know each other."

 

   "You're a hot guy. That's all I need to know." And Eric silenced Jason in the best and fastest way he knew how, by pulling the younger man's head closer for a hard, long kiss, his tongue probing insistently.

 

   Jason responded with a thrust of his own tongue and made a soft sound as Eric moved his hand back down, ran his fingers over the hardness he found there for a few seconds, and then reached around to squeeze the round firmness of that butt he had been wanting all night. He felt his way in and down until his fingers found their target and brushed over it, withdrawing as Jason tensed slightly. Sliding down a little, Eric kissed Jason’s neck and throat, teased the hollow between Jason’s collarbones with his tongue, and took his time sucking and then gently biting first one nipple and then the other. Jason groaned and bucked his hips, pushing himself against Eric's stomach, hands moving urgently over Eric's shoulders and then trying to push his head farther down.

 

   But Eric had other ideas. He lifted up, his hand between them stroking again, and asked, "Hey, you got any lube here?"

 

   "Any what?" Jason's tightly closed eyes opened, hazy with arousal.

 

   "Lube. I left mine in the car." Eric sat up and reached for the jeans he had dropped on the floor. A moment later he had found what he was looking for and had a foil packet in his hand. "How about oil? Hand lotion?"

 

   "No, I  ... what's that?" Jason asked.

 

   Eric glanced down at his own hand. "It's a condom, of course. Don't tell me you don't use them."

 

   Jason propped himself up on his elbows. "No. I mean, I don't do that."

 

   "Don't do what?" Eric asked. "If you want to ride bareback, sorry, that's something _I_ don't do. Not with all the shit going around these days."

 

   "Not the condom. I mean I don't do - you know, anal." Jason was eyeing the condom as if it was some medieval implement of torture.

 

   "What's the problem? You a top? You wanna do me?"

 

   "No!" Jason looked like he was horrified at the idea but trying not to show it. "I just don't do it. I never have and I don't want to now."

 

   "Why not?"

 

   "I guess I'm not ready yet."

 

   "Well, you're not going to know if you're ready unless you try, will you?" Eric asked. "Who knows, maybe you'll like it."

 

   "No. I just don't want to do that with-" Jason cut himself off abruptly.

 

   "With what?" Eric asked softly.

 

   Maybe Jason mistook his gentler tone for understanding instead of the beginnings of anger, because he explained. "I don't want to do it with someone I don't know very well. I mean, no offence, but we just met tonight - maybe someday if we saw each other again and got to be friends or whatever - it's just that I don't like the idea of doing something like that with a ..."

 

   "A stranger?" Eric asked, his voice cool now.

 

   Jason shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Well, yeah. It's nothing personal."

 

   "Okay. Wouldn't want you to do anything you don't want." Eric got off the bed, bent to pick up his briefs, and pulled them on.

 

   "What are you doing?" Jason asked.

 

   "What's it look like? Getting dressed."

 

   "Hey, you don't have to leave. We can still do other stuff, like before." Jason swung his feet over the edge of the bed and sat up.

 

   "Been there, done that. I'm not in the mood," Eric said as he zipped up his jeans and fastened his belt.

 

   "So because I won't do exactly what you want, you're going to - to take your balls and go home?" Jason demanded, his voice disbelieving and beginning to be angry.

 

   Eric glanced up, amused despite himself, to see the other man glaring at him. "Yeah, I guess that's a good way to put it."

 

   "You're a selfish bastard, you know that?"

 

   "Been told that before." Eric finished putting on his shoes, pulled his t-shirt over his head, and tucked it into his pants. "Well, so long, and nice meeting you," he said, and walked to the door, accompanied by a stony silence. He turned for a last look at the still-naked young man sitting on the bed watching him. For an instant a little voice asked him, _'Are you crazy? Walking out on a guy who looks like that when he's sitting there wanting more?'_   but a stronger voice was repeating the word, _'Stranger'_.

 

\---

 

   Eric could almost feel Jason's angry glare on his back, and could almost hear the sound of the door that had closed between them five years ago. But another sound - Wes's voice - pulled him back from memory into the quiet darkness of his own bedroom and the man lying beside him.

 

   "Why did you leave? Just because Jason wouldn't let you ...?"

 

   "No. Not because of that, not really." Eric paused, unsure of how to explain the feeling that had driven him out of that small college dorm room. No, the reason he had walked out was not because he was angry or disappointed or wouldn't have been satisfied with other means of gratification. It was ... "It was because we were strangers," he said softly. It was because in the moment when he had said the word, Eric had realized what had been at the edges of his mind all evening, nagging at him without his realizing it.

 

   "Strangers?"

 

   "The sex had been good, but it wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted more. I didn't even know what, or didn't want to know, but I knew I wasn't going to find it there and I wasn't going to find it with Jason. All I knew for sure was that I wanted more than sex with a stranger."

 

 

 

_**[6] Accepting Comfort** _

 

   "Eric was the first stranger I ever had sex with," Jason sighed as he finished his recollection. "Until then it had always been guys I'd known before – none very well, I never really made friends with any of them, but … anyway." He paused. "He was also the last _guy_ I'd been with. Until you."

 

   Tommy nodded slowly, understanding why the experience might have soured Jason on men for a while. Being put down like that was hard to take for anyone, man _or_ woman, and to have it happen after being intimate with a person must've hurt. Especially someone as warm and caring as Jason. He shook his head.

 

   "I don't get it," he murmured. "Why was he so pissed? It's not as if you'd been a cock-tease, then failed to deliver …"

 

   "I don't know," Jason said. "And after a while, I didn't care. That night, though …"

 

   Tommy kissed him. "He hurt you," he surmised.

 

   To his mild surprise, Jason shrugged. "Maybe. Possibly. What I remember most, though, is being so goddamn _angry_ when he left like he did, I could've punched him if he'd stayed a minute longer."

 

   Which was a feeling Tommy understood all too well. If Eric had been in the room with them this very instant, _he_ would want to slug him as well. For being such a jerk, for callously rejecting Jason … for causing him pain.

 

   "I've got half a mind now to cancel the trip to Silver Hills," he muttered angrily.

 

   "Not on my behalf," Jason hurried to say, but smiled gratefully at his lover's support. "It's been years, and I've gotten over it."

 

   "Yeah, well, I just don't know if I can face Eric now, knowing what he did to you," Tommy grumbled. "Not and be civil, anyway." He looked for something, anything, to distract his mind, reached for his wine glass and found it empty. Suddenly restless, needing to pace off at least some of his feelings, he sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "I'll get us a refill," he said curtly, and before Jason could object left the bedroom.

 

   Several minutes later Tommy had calmed down and returned with a fresh bottle of wine and a bowl of nuts, to find Jason lying on the haphazardly straightened bed, waiting for him. Tommy paused in the door and drank in the sight of his lover. Tanned skin contrasted starkly with the white sheets, his hair was slightly mussed from their earlier lovemaking, and the invitation he could read in the dark eyes propelled him across the room with renewed eagerness. Tommy put the wine on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the mattress, placing one hand on the smooth broad chest.

 

   "I love you, Jase," he whispered, feeling the steady heartbeat under his palm stumble once the way it always did when he said the words.

 

   "I know," Jason replied just as softly, entwining his fingers with Tommy's. "Love you, too." They gazed steadily into each other's eyes until Jason's lips curved into a smile. He patted the space at his side. "Lie with me?"

 

   "Sure." The bed dipped as Tommy stretched out next to Jason and propped his head into his hand, his other sliding comfortingly around Jason's waist. Jason reached up and ran his fingers through Tommy's short hair, then down his cheek to his mouth. He traced the warm lips with his forefinger.

 

   "What has you so worked up, Bro?" he asked eventually. "And don't tell me you're not; I know you too well."

 

   Tommy looked away. "Eric," he spat at last, his anger resurfacing. "What gave him the right to … to …" he shook his head, frustrated at his inability to put his feelings into words. So Jason did it for him.

 

   "To run out on me the way he did?" he queried quietly. "For having been one of the guys that came before you? Or are you just mad at me because there _were_ others?"

 

   Stunned by Jason's insight – and dead-on assessment – Tommy blinked. "Both," he confessed at last. "Although I'm not really mad at _you_ ; I mean, I know that you were sorta playing the field at one time, not just with Eric. I may not like it much, but … okay. Water under the bridge, and all that. But where did he get off on treating you like a piece of garbage just because you refused to do what he wanted? Refusing a certain practice, be it intercourse, oral sex or whatever, is everybody's right if it makes them uncomfortable. Doesn't matter whether it's two guys, girls or a mixed couple, if it's a one-night stand or a relationship – _nobody_ should get away with something like that!"

 

   "I agree, but honestly, it's not such a big deal," Jason soothed him.

 

   "I bet it was a big deal at the time, though."

 

   The dark eyes grew distant. "Yeah … yeah, at the time it was," Jason admitted and smiled when he was instantly drawn into a comforting embrace. "Mmm. Thanks." He threw a leg over Tommy's thighs, tucked one arm across his middle and rested his head on a lean shoulder, wishing he could've had such closeness that long-ago night as well.

 

They were silent for several minutes, just holding each other, until Tommy voiced a question that kept niggling at his mind.

 

   "What about the whole mess upset _you_ the most?"

 

   Jason had often asked himself that very thing, and had finally found an answer that felt right.

 

   "I guess … not so much that he just up and left like he did, but more that he didn't even stay long enough to argue – tried harder to change my mind or something," he replied. "If he had, who knows … but hell, he didn't even get real angry. At least I could've understood _that_ , I think. Sure, what we did was never supposed to go beyond that night, past some, ah, recreational sex, but I'd thought we … connected somehow, y'know? We both had something to celebrate, were both into martial arts, we had a blast leading each other on – and when we finally got around to some action, that felt pretty good, too. Even getting interrupted twice was kind of funny because we were both so frustrated."

 

   Despite himself, Tommy had to chuckle as he remembered what Jason had told him about his encounter. "You guys really had to work at getting laid, huh?"

 

   Jason snorted. "No kidding. Until then I'd thought my mom coming home early one day when I was making out with Emily in my room had been bad, but almost getting caught by the cops? Man!" He shook his head. "And the second time … if I hadn't been so horny, I would've given up there and then." He paused, then went on. "But Eric was so different from everyone else I'd been with. Older, edgier, I could tell he had a lot more experience than me, and to top it all I thought he was a damn hot-looking guy. I wanted that, and wasn't about to give it up when I'd found it."

 

   "You thought he was hot?" Tommy repeated slowly, somehow uncomfortable at the idea.

 

   "Uh huh. Dark, built and handsome," Jason smiled and brushed a kiss against Tommy's chest. "Just like you. And since I couldn't have _you_ for my birthday, he was an okay substitute."

 

   "Oh." Absurdly pleased, Tommy smiled back. But he sensed that there were some things that still needed to be aired. "What else was there, Jase?"

 

   His lover blushed. "It's really stupid," he mumbled, avoiding looking at Tommy.

 

   "Nothing is stupid if it upsets you. Give."

 

   Jason hesitated, then sighed. "Well, if you _have_ to know … for the longest time afterwards, I'd wondered whether it was because of _me_ that things went sour. Compared to Eric I wasn't very experienced, I was just a student without money, had no car, was barely legal … I felt as if I wasn't good enough somehow. Not even to satisfy a stranger I'd met in a bar," he whispered.

 

    _-Aw, man. This is worse than I thought.-_. For his best friend, a man who'd always prided himself on his confidence and ability to deal with any situation to feel so inadequate, the event must've scarred him more than Jason would ever admit. _-Damn you, Eric, for doing that to him!-_

He wrapped both arms around Jason and drew him close against him, bodies touching shoulder to knees. "But you are, Bro," he murmured. "Trust me. I _know_ you, and there's no way in hell that you're not good enough for _anybody_ ," he vowed. "You're the best."

 

   "Thanks, Bro," Jason replied with a small sigh. Then he shook himself and met the loving brown eyes at last. "Thanks for listening and understanding," he said quietly. "I guess I needed that."

 

   "Anytime, Jase."

 

   The two continued to lie closely entwined on the wide bed, taking and giving comfort through gentle touches and caresses, just being together. After a while, Jason stirred and  looked at his lover.

 

   "Tom?"

 

   "Yeah?"

 

   "I … I have a problem," Jason murmured. Tommy raised a questioning eyebrow and let one hand drift past Jason's navel. There was a definite reaction to his touch, but none of the immediacy he expected. Jason smiled wryly even as he gasped softly with pleasure and thrust into the questing fingers. "Not that kind of problem. Or rather, not exactly." He hesitated, glanced away briefly.

 

   "What, then?" Tommy asked gently, reluctantly releasing the pulsing column of flesh. "Still Eric?"

 

   "Yeah," Jason admitted with a pout and small sigh. Tommy's hand had felt _so_ good …! "Meeting him again for our mission was quite a shock, but in a way it also helped me to put the whole mess behind me once and for all. I could finally chalk it up to experience and leave it at that. To learn that he'd become a Ranger, to fight at his side, knowing that he had my back the same as you and the rest of the guys … it kind of put everything a little more into perspective, you know? I realized then that he couldn't quite be the selfish bastard I thought he was. Not and be one of us. When I left, I could honestly wish him well and mean it."

 

   "That's great," Tommy commented, "but how is that a problem?"

 

   "Well … ever since you told me I – we – would be seeing him again in a couple weeks, I can't stop thinking about it," Jason confessed, blushing with embarrassment and frustration. "It's driving me nuts. So maybe not everything about that one time was bad, but I don't _want_ Eric in my mind anymore. He means nothing to me except he's someone I once knew – okay, had sex with – and that he's a fellow Ranger who deserves my loyalty." He drew a shuddering breath. "Tommy, he's the very _last_ person I want to be thinking of now that we're finally together. Especially when I'm here with you like this." A small gesture encompassed the room, the bed and their naked bodies.

 

   "Hmm, yeah, that _is_ a problem." Tommy certainly didn't want Jason to think of _any_ of his former lovers; neither here and now nor at other times and places, period. He fought down a surge of unreasoning anger; Jason needed his understanding and support, not jealousy. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked at last.

 

   "Maybe." The deep voice was even lower than usual, and very soft. "Yes. Please?"

 

   Tommy felt instantly mollified. "How?" he asked, just as softly.

 

   Jason didn't answer directly, just slid his hand to Tommy's chest. He followed the contours of muscle and bones with gentle touches that enticed rather than aroused, but that changed as he eventually began to play with a stiffening nipple. Tommy shivered as another portion of his anatomy followed suit, and he told it sternly to behave.

  

   Jason's expression was both shadowed and hopeful as he looked at his partner and best friend. "Make me forget about him, Tommy," he requested. "Do with me whatever you want until I see, hear, feel, taste nobody but you anymore …"

 

   "Oh, Jase …"

 

   There was no way Tommy could refuse the plea, and at a loss for words simply bent his head to kiss the warm mouth. Jason's lips opened for his tongue immediately, letting it glide past his teeth to tangle with his own. With tender enthusiasm, Tommy proceeded to exorcize any third presence in their bed. Jason responded freely and willingly to every touch, pliant as never before, and both reveled in the sensations, taking their time to wring every last response from each other. Skin grew slowly damp with sweat, breaths were coming in faster, shorter bursts and hands wandered wherever they wanted until at last they were both straining with need and desperate for release.

 

   Conscious as never before of the trust and love they shared, Tommy reached for some lubricant and prepared his lover. Then, he took what was his – what Jason was giving him, and him alone.

 

   Afterwards the two lay sated and tired in each other's arms, slowly drifting off to sleep. Just before his eyes closed, Tommy felt the need for some reassurance.

 

   "Jase?"

 

   "Mmm?"

 

   "Did it work?"

 

   "Wha …?" Drowsily, Jason squinted at Tommy, who hesitated, then asked anyway.

 

   "Are you still thinking about Eric?"

 

   He got an indistinct grumble, a yawn and a half-hearted swat against his arm.

 

   "Please, Jason," Tommy murmured softly, kissing him. "I really need to know."

 

   "'Bout what," Jason slurred, more than half-asleep already.

 

   "Eric," Tommy repeated.

 

   "Eric who?"

 

   With that, the strong body relaxed in slumber, and all that Tommy could hear were Jason's soft snores. It was enough to send him into sleep as well with a smile on his face and the knowledge that they'd be all right.   

 

\---

 

   "So, that's it," Eric said into the silence of his bedroom. "I walked out, found my car, went back to my hotel. The next morning I drove back to Silver Hills. Three weeks later - I finished my training with the Silver Guardians, we went into action, and I saw you." He watched Wes's face for reactions, seeing little beyond the gleam of light reflected from blue eyes. "What do you think?"

 

   "What do I think?" Wes raised a brow. "I'm not sure. Parts of that were pretty hard to listen to."

 

   "I know. I'm sorry."

 

   "No, don't be. I wanted you to tell me." There was a smile in Wes's voice, softening his next words. "I gotta say, I think I like you now a lot better than I would have liked you then."

 

   "But I'm still the same person." Eric groped for the right way to say what he wanted to say; to make Wes understand. "Yeah, I changed - but only on the surface. I was always the same underneath. Sure I screwed around with a lot of guys - and I had a good time doing it, can't deny that - but I think I was always looking for something else, something I didn't find with any of them."

 

   "Not even with Nick?"

 

   Eric sighed. "No. Close, but - no. I always knew that wouldn't last."

 

   "And Jason? He seems like a nice guy. And it sounds like he liked you."

 

   "Maybe he liked what he saw at first. If he got to know me - maybe not."

 

   Wes's eyes examined his face. "How do you feel about seeing him again?"

 

   "Well ..." Eric shrugged uncomfortably. "I kind of feel bad about the way I walked out on him like that."

 

   "Is that all?"

 

   "What do you mean?"

 

   "Well ..." Wes hesitated, but the question needed to be asked, at least to get it off his own mind. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

 

   To his surprise, the corner of Eric's mouth turned up. "I liked the guy okay, but I never had _feelings_ for him. None above the waist, anyway."

 

   "And below the waist?" Wes asked without giving himself a chance to think about it. "I mean - do you still think about him sometimes?"

 

   Eric's eyes met his steadily. "How could I, when I've got you?"

 

   They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments until Wes blinked, smiled slowly, and raised his head to move forward enough for a light kiss. "Good answer," he murmured. Even if a remaining twinge of jealousy told him it might not be one hundred percent true, it was what he had needed to hear. "So anyway ... if you feel bad about what happened with Jason, now you can tell him you're sorry."

 

   "After all these years? He probably forgot all about it."

 

   "I dunno," Wes said, letting a teasing tone creep into his voice. "You're pretty memorable." He reached out a hand to trace the contours of Eric's shoulders.

 

   "Yeah, well. I'm sure the only thing he remembers is me acting like an asshole. He was pretty mad." Eric shook his head at the mental image of that young man sitting on a narrow bed all those years ago, glaring in anger.

 

   Wes's hand rose to move a thumb gently across Eric's lips, then cup his cheek. "When you saw him again during the Red Ranger mission, did he say anything?"

 

   "Nope. Just what you heard. Hardly looked at me the rest of the time." Eric smiled faintly and turned his head to press a kiss into Wes's palm. "But - we were pretty busy then, if you remember."

 

   "And now ..." Wes briefly ran his hand down Eric's neck and over his throat, and then started to draw slow circles on his chest. "I think you should talk to him."

 

   "You think so, huh?"

 

   "Yeah. Just to make sure both of you can forget about it. Leave it behind, you know? You'll both feel better."

 

   "Wes ..." Eric reached to grasp Wes's wrist, stopping the hand that was starting to drift lower in its teasing movements.

 

   "Yeah?" Blue eyes met his unblinkingly.

 

   "You haven't said how _you_ feel about seeing Jason."

 

   Wes shrugged slightly, but his eyes moved away. "Me? I don’t feel one way or the other."

 

   "Bullshit. Is it going to bother you being around someone I had sex with in the past?" He lifted himself up on one arm and leaned forward a little to make Wes look at his face. "Someone you know I thought was hot? Because if it is, we should just forget about getting together with him and Tommy. Tell them we're busy, let them do their thing with Dr. Zaskin and just go on home."

 

   Wes frowned. While Eric didn't usually make the effort to notice or deal with other people's feelings, when he did he was usually right, and now was one of those times. Seeing Jason - and seeing Eric with Jason, even in a completely innocent social setting - was going to bother him. Which didn't mean either of them should take the easy way out. "No. I'm not going to back out just because I might feel a little jealous."

 

   "I know you don't want to back out." Eric bent a little lower to brush his lips over Wes's and continued very softly. "But I know what it feels like. I was jealous every time I saw you with Jen. I'm jealous of the girls you slept with in college. I get a little jealous every time I catch you looking at a guy who isn't me. I don't want you feeling that."

 

   Wes was smiling again now. "I had no idea you're so - possessive."

 

   And Eric's lips curved in return. "When you've got something good, you want to hold on to it."

 

   "Tell me about it." Wes watched Eric lie back down and reached for him, beginning that slow circling movement with his hand again. "But a little jealousy comes with the territory. Maybe you think I'm still a spoiled, sheltered brat who can't take it-"

 

   "I never said-"

 

   "Or you think I'm so delicate that you need to protect me."

 

   "I never said that either-"

 

   "Then you should know I'll be just fine." He moved in closer, sliding an arm under Eric's neck while continuing to explore his lover's warm skin with the other hand. "Of course, I could always use some moral support ..."

 

   "Moral support? How?"

 

   Wes grinned. "Like this is how."

 

   They kissed, gently and slowly at first, mapping every contour of each other's lips before Wes slid his tongue into Eric's mouth, taking the time to make it an unhurried and sensual caress as his hands continued on their way. As they found their goal, Eric reached for him, first running his fingers through Wes's hair, then lazily moving down over neck, shoulders, back, and buttocks, once again traveling the paths of that body he knew at least as well as his own.

 

   They were both ready, and past ready, by the time they made their preparations and came together again, bodies joining and moving as one, sweat-dampened skin under their hands, choosing to be face to face with eyes locked on each other, watching every fleeting expression, giving and taking until they both found release.

 

   Later, as they lay warm, satisfied, and relaxed, Wes asked very softly, "Remember when you said you were looking for something with all those guys, years ago?"

 

   "Yeah, sure I remember."

 

   "Have you found it now?"

 

   "You know I have."

 

 

  _ **[7] Reunion Time**_

 

 

   "Relax," Jason told Tommy as they cruised along the highway to Silver Hills early on Saturday morning. "We're only going to meet Wes and Eric, not fight in the apocalypse."

 

   "I know that. Easier said than done," Tommy grumbled, not even pretending to misunderstand what Jason referred to. "I still feel like I want to slug someone."

 

   "Me, or Eric?" Jason asked quietly, getting a surprised and slightly guilty look for his insight.

 

   "I wish I knew that myself," his lover sighed after a few seconds' hesitation. "You … not really, as I said before; after all, you told me up front I wasn't the first guy you'd been with. I just need a little more time to come to terms with actually _knowing_ one of your exes. But Eric – he's another matter." Tommy scowled. "If he's still the same asshole … if he dares to treat you like that again, I'll-"

 

   "You'll do nothing," Jason interrupted him firmly. "Tommy, I'm a big boy. I can deal with my own problems just fine. And thanks to you, the memory I have of Eric no longer _is_ one of my problems. Besides, I doubt Eric will even want to remember that night. I know _I_ sure didn't, until this meeting brought it up again. And I also know I'd much rather forget about it once and for all."

 

   "You and me both," Tommy sighed and swerved into the left lane to pass a truck. "It's just …"

 

   "It's just that you're maybe a teensy bit jealous," Jason said, lightly touching his arm. "I think it's kinda cute."

 

   Tommy barely managed not to crash into the lane divider. "Cute? _Cute?_ " he sputtered, shooting Jason an outraged glare.

 

   Grinning now that he'd managed to divert Tommy's attention from the incipient meeting with Eric, Jason nodded serenely. "Uh huh. You're a little jealous, a little possessive … and I love you for it," he added softly. "Because I know exactly how you must be feeling."

 

   That garnered him a dubious frown. "I rather doubt it."

 

   "Oh? How do you think _I_ felt during those years you were so tight with Kat? I thought all the time that I'd never have a chance to be with you – and didn't even dare tell you how I felt until you two had called it quits. Believe me, I learned more about jealousy and possessiveness than I ever wanted to."

 

   Tommy sighed; there was nothing he could say to contradict the quiet statement. He knew all too well that he'd never have gotten together with Jason if his best friend hadn't found the courage to tell him about his feelings first – when he needed to know someone cared. They drove on in silence for a couple of miles.

 

   "I'm being ridiculous, huh?" Tommy mumbled rather sheepishly at last.

 

   Jason smiled. "If you think that just because Eric and I had a one-night stand once and because it ended badly either one of us would want to jump in the sack again to make things right, then yes," he said matter-of-factly. "I may not know him really well, but I doubt he's the type to beat a dead horse. I know _I_ have no interest in him anymore whatsoever, and I'm absolutely sure that we all can be mature about this and not let it influence today's business. It's just one meeting, not as if we'll be living in each other's pockets; after today, chances are we may never see Eric and Wes again."

 

   "You're right," Tommy admitted and let out an explosive puff of breath. "Okay. Let's not talk about it anymore, shall we?"

 

   "Fine by me," Jason agreed, relieved. They still had about an hour to go until they reached Silver Hills; too long to be rehashing his and Eric's past, or fret about their reunion. He turned his attention to the road and spotted a familiar sign up ahead. "Hey, wanna stop for some coffee?"

 

   "Just what I need, acid reflux on top of being poked and prodded," Tommy groused good-naturedly, but eased the car into the exit lane nonetheless. "One of these days you'll die of caffeine overdose," he prophesized as they stopped at the drive-thru window. Jason just laughed.

 

   "Right along with you, Bro."

 

\---

 

   Wes paused to run his fingers through his hair and make sure his shirt was neatly tucked in before turning the last corner in the hallway leading to Dr. Zaskin's laboratory. Stupid to be so nervous, he told himself sternly. Who was he trying to compete with, anyway? But the answer to that was easy. Jason Scott, that's who.

 

   He had dutifully called Tommy Oliver on the Monday after Eric had told him his story, and finalized their arrangements. Jason had agreed to come along, and they were all going to have lunch in the Bio-Lab executive dining room before the two former Rangers left to return to their homes. It had seemed to Wes that Tommy sounded a good deal less than enthusiastic this time - but maybe that was only imagination, coming from Wes's own lack of enthusiasm.

 

   At any rate, here he was, and right on time for once. He hadn't wanted Eric to show up before him. Speaking of Eric - the night before had not been one of their nights together; he was coming from his house while Wes had come from his fathers', and he had called earlier to say he was stopping by his office to take care of some forgotten detail from the week past. Probably just an excuse to delay the inevitable - but Wes found it comforting that Eric would be so reluctant to confront his one-time-only lover.

 

   Of course, that left Wes to confront him. With another surge of nervousness, he heard voices ahead, squared his shoulders, pasted a smile on his face, and walked on.

 

   The wide double doors leading into the laboratory lay at the end of a short corridor. Wes knew there was a small, bare room beyond them equipped with anti-static flooring to protect the delicate instruments inside, and then a second set of doors. Dr. Zaskin was standing just outside, talking to Tommy. Jason was nowhere in sight.

 

   "I can wait out here," Tommy was saying. "It's no problem."

 

   "We can find someone to - oh, here's Wes," Dr. Zaskin said, catching sight of him. "Good timing. You two know each other, don't you?"

 

   "Yes. Nice to see you again, Tommy," Wes said, holding out his hand.

 

   It was taken in a firm grip. "Good to see you too," Tommy said.

 

   "How was your trip? And the tests?"

 

   Tommy shrugged and smiled. "Not bad, and pretty interesting. But I guess you've already gone through the testing."

 

   "Yeah, a couple of days ago." Wes had expected something like a doctor's visit, complete with needles and urine samples, and had been surprised at being given a series of exercises designed to test his reflexes, vision, hearing, and memory, a thorough CAT scan - plus one or two needles, unfortunately. "So - you done now? Ready for lunch?"

 

   "Dr. Oliver is," Zaskin answered. "Mr. Scott is still finishing up, and we need him for another fifteen or twenty minutes."

 

   "Yeah, we got here a little late," Tommy said apologetically. "An old bad habit of mine." He turned to Dr. Zaskin. "Really, I don't mind waiting here."

 

   "Nonsense; there's no place to sit. Now that Wes is here, why don't both of you go on up to the dining room where you can be comfortable?" Zaskin said. "I'll escort your friend up as soon as he's done." He was already edging back towards the door, obviously anxious to get back to work.

 

   "Well, I guess ..." Tommy said uncertainly, looking at Wes.

 

   "I guess we shouldn't just stand here ..." Wes said with equal uncertainty. He was the host here, might as well start acting like it and make sure Bio-Lab's guest was comfortable. "Okay. Just send Eric up when he gets here, okay?" he called after Dr. Zaskin, and got an absent nod in return. Replacing his smile, he faced Tommy. "Let's go then. Lunch is on the house, by the way, thanks to my father."

 

   "Nothing like a free lunch."

 

   Wes cast only one glance back as they headed for the main hallway and the elevators. He noticed Tommy did the same.

 

\---

 

_-Late. I'm never late,-_ Eric thought as he hurried towards Zaskin's laboratory. But today was an exception. His own fault, of course, he had let himself get all wrapped up in the report of a complaint against one of the Guardians, and completely forgotten the time. Or maybe he hadn't forgotten so much as not wanted to get there first and find himself trying to socialize with Jason and Tommy without Wes being there.

 

   Not much chance of that now, when he was almost twenty minutes late. Eric turned the last corner fully expecting to find that all three of them had already gone up to the dining room, and came to an abrupt halt as he almost ran into the same dark-haired, blunt-featured face he had been dreading seeing again for the last two weeks.

 

   "Eric!" Dr. Zaskin said as he and Jason stopped just as quickly. "Glad you're here. I understand you two have met."

 

   "Uh ... yeah, we've met," Jason said. After a slight hesitation, he put out his hand.

 

   Eric took it as briefly as he could get away with, hoping the near-collision had explained the look of dismay he knew had appeared on his face.

 

   "The tests took a little longer than expected," Zaskin was saying. "Wes and Dr. Oliver are already upstairs. I'm sure I can put Mr. Scott in your capable hands."

 

   "Yeah, right," he said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he thought he saw a flash of amusement in Jason's expression.

 

   "Good! I need to get back and look at those test results - fascinating, really fascinating ..." Dr. Zaskin's voice trailed off as he rapidly retreated back into his own world.

 

   Unfortunately, that left Eric and Jason alone and staring at each other.

 

   "Well - how have you been?" Jason asked.

 

   "Okay." Manners. He was being rude. Eric drew in a breath. "How did the tests go? They find anything?"

 

   "Nothing bad. Some of it was interesting. Dr. Zaskin pronounced both Tommy and me completely healthy, so that's a relief."

 

   "Good." What else? What the hell did people say to be polite to each other? "And - how was your trip?"

 

   "Pretty good. It's a nice day." Jason was starting to look amused again as he realized how uncomfortable Eric was.

 

   "Well, come on," Eric growled. "Let's get up there. I'm sure we'll have a _wonderful_ lunch."

 

   "Lead on, MacDuff," Jason murmured, giving him a sardonic grin as he cast a glare back.

 

\---

 

   "Jason should be here by now," Tommy said, glancing at his watch. "Shouldn't he?"

 

   "I guess. And I wonder where Eric is." Wes looked at his own watch. They had been sitting here for almost half an hour now.

 

   Tommy's remarks on the décor and the view from the windows of this elaborate dining room atop the Bio-Lab building, meant for entertaining and impressing business associates, had been good for the first five minutes. Then Tommy's account of his stint as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger had filled another twenty. They had tried a discussion of what the other former Rangers had been doing; not a promising conversation since neither of them was in touch with more than a very few.

 

   What they had not discussed was Eric and Jason, but that was what was on both their minds, as each wondered where his lover was and - just as importantly - who he was with and what they were doing.

 

   "Hang on, I'll call Dr. Zaskin," Wes said, breaking the silence that had fallen. Tommy watched as he took out his cell phone, punched the number, and exchanged a few sentences.

 

   "Well?"

 

   Wes frowned. "He says Eric showed up just as Jason was leaving. The two of them are headed up here."

 

   "Alone?" Tommy let the question slip out before he realized how strange it must sound, but if Wes noticed, he didn't react.

 

   "Yeah. But ..." Wes glanced at the entrance door. "That was at least five minutes ago. They should be here by now."

 

   "Maybe - maybe they stopped to use the bathroom."

 

   Wes blocked out the unwelcome and ridiculous - he hoped - image that idea conjured up. "Shouldn't take this long."

 

   "Can't you call him? Eric, I mean?" Tommy looked at the cell phone still in Wes's hand.

 

   "Yeah, but - I don't want to seem like I'm checking up." Too late, Wes realized how strange that remark must sound, but saw only worry in Tommy's face.

 

   "Huh. I don't like this."

 

   "Hey, neither do I."

 

   "Where could they be?"

 

   "And - what are they doing?"

 

   They looked at each other, for the first time really hearing what was in each other's voices and seeing the anxiety in each other's faces. Maybe they put together what they had both been saying. Maybe it was some kind of Red Ranger bond. Or maybe it was just the fact that they were two concerned and slightly jealous lovers feeling and thinking the same thing. But suddenly they _knew_ , and could see it in each other's eyes.

 

   "He told you too, didn't he?" Tommy said.

 

   "You mean - Eric told me ..."

 

   "About Jason."

 

   "And Jason told you about Eric."

 

   "Oh, man. You and _Eric_?"

 

   "You and _Jason_?!?"

 

\---

 

   Eric punched the button for the penthouse and stared stonily at the elevator doors as they closed, trying not to notice Jason standing beside him. This was worse than he had imagined. Stuck alone with the guy, even for the few minutes it would take to get to the dining room. Good thing Jason didn't seem like he wanted to talk. Surprising, really, since you'd think he would _want_ to talk about the lousy way that night all those years ago had ended. You'd think he'd want to clear the air, so they could both relax a little ...

 

   He was actually surprised when his own finger stabbed at the elevator 'stop' button and the car lurched to a halt.

 

   "What happened?" Jason asked. The mild alarm he felt deepened as he saw the look of intense determination on Eric's face as he swung around.

 

   "I stopped the elevator. We need to talk."

 

   "Talk." Jason took a calming breath. While he was surprised that Eric was even willing to talk, let alone wanted to, it was not unwelcome. They had a few loose ends to wrap up, after all. "Okay, go ahead."

 

   "Look - look, I'm sorry about what happened that night, in your room. I know you thought I was a real asshole, and maybe you're right. But I want you to know it wasn't you, it was me. It wasn't what you think, that I got mad and took off. It was - it was complicated."

 

   The words had come out in a rush, as if Eric had been saving them up. "Complicated?" Jason asked, confused.

 

   "Yeah." Eric leaned a shoulder against the wall, his eyes looking away now. "I had just gotten out of the Army. You know that already. But I had also just broken up with my first real boyfriend. Just gotten this job, just moved here to Silver Hills. And there was - was a guy I knew in prep school, and never forgot, and I kept thinking about maybe running into him again and starting something."

 

   He looked up at Jason's face before going on. "I was already out of the whole casual cruising thing - but I didn't know it yet. When you said you didn't do anal with strangers - all of a sudden ..." He sighed. "Wanna know the real reason I wouldn't bring you to my hotel? Because you were a stranger, and I didn't trust you. You didn't trust me either. All of a sudden I started thinking, 'What the hell am I doing here, fucking a guy I don't know and don't trust?' And - I just got the hell out."

 

   "Wow." Jason watched him for a moment, as Eric looked down at the floor. "Why didn't you say so? Why didn't you explain instead of letting me think it was just because I wouldn't do what you wanted? I would've understood."

 

   Eric met his eyes again, this time with a knowing smirk. "Yeah, because twenty-one-year-old college guys with a hard-on are so well known for their patience and understanding."

 

   Jason couldn't help a snort of laughter as the image of himself, so angry and frustrated that he had wanted to punch something, preferably Eric, rose before his mind's eye. "Well, maybe you're right."

 

   "Anyway, I'm sorry. Why I left wasn't your fault, and it wasn't anything you did - or didn't do. I hope you didn't let it bother you." 

   "Bother me? Nah." Jason grinned, not entirely truthfully. While if someone had asked him five minutes ago if it bothered him, he would have had to say yes … now it didn't, not anymore. "I did think you were kind of an asshole, though. Glad to know I was wrong."

 

   "Yeah. I'm glad we had a chance to clear this up, after all this time." After a moment of hesitation, Eric held out his hand. Jason took it, a warm smile on his face, and they shook firmly and sincerely this time.

 

   "Well." Eric cleared his throat. "We'd better get up there."

 

   "Yeah, Tommy will be wondering where I am."

 

   "So will Wes," Eric said with a shake of his head.

 

   Jason gave another short laugh. "Man, I just realized - if Tommy could see us alone in this elevator right now, he'd go nuts."

 

   "Yeah, so would Wes," Eric said without thinking.

 

   "Really?" Jason met his eyes with the lift of an eyebrow. "Don't tell me. You and _Wes_?"

 

   "You and _Tommy_?!?"

 

\---

 

   "I thought you were into your Pink Ranger. Jen, wasn't it?" Tommy was both amused and puzzled. Talk about your coincidences - two Ranger teams, two sets of Red Ranger and sixth Ranger - twice and the second time in reverse, in the case of himself and Jason - and two sets of lovers.

 

   "I thought I was too," Wes said. "But I found out a few things about myself since then. I thought _you_ were into Kim. And weren't you dating Kat, later on?"

 

   "Yeah, well. I found out a few things about myself too. Although Jason's the first guy I've felt like this about, at least enough to do something about it."

 

   "I see. Well, Jason seems like a nice guy." Wes cast another glance towards the door.

 

   "He is." Tommy hesitated, reluctant to criticize Eric to someone who obviously cared for him, but unable to completely hide what he thought. "And Eric is ... well, honestly – I hope he's changed from the way Jason said he was that night."

 

   Wes toyed with his water glass, eyes downcast. "I know what you're talking about. He told me he didn't treat Jason very well at the end there. Eric had a lot of problems then. Still does, I guess. But he's really a good guy." He looked up. "He didn't walk out on Jason for the reason you probably think. Yeah, he was rude, but he was going through some changes then. And he's sorry about what happened, even if he doesn't know how to say it."

 

   "Yeah? Well, if you say so. I guess you know him better than I do, or Jason." Tommy was skeptical, but there was no point in pursuing it. He looked towards the door, partly to change the subject. "So where the hell are they, anyway? It's been what, twenty minutes now?" But his question was answered as soon as it was out of his mouth, as the missing pair came through the door, stopped for a moment to look around, spotted Wes and Tommy, and started for them.

 

   "About time," Wes muttered for Tommy to hear, and then, "Hey! Where have you two been?"

 

   "We had a little - elevator trouble," Jason said with a smirk.

 

   "And we had a little talk," Eric added with a meaningful glance at Wes.

 

   "Yeah, it was good. Cleared a few things up for us," Jason said, sharing a significant look and a smile with Tommy as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

 

   "Great!" Wes said. Trying not to sound suspicious, he added, "We were starting to wonder what you guys were up to."

 

   "Were you now?" Jason asked blandly.

 

   "Yeah. You had us worried, considering," Tommy said, giving Eric a tight and not entirely pleasant smile. "We didn't know whether to think you were - uh - getting friendly again or killing each other."

 

   "Sorry about that." Jason grinned inwardly. The relief of having not only faced Eric but of finally being able to understand his behavior on that night had lightened his mood into cheerfulness - and mischievousness. Since Tommy and Wes seemed to have been talking about more than the weather and had obviously figured out the situation - he couldn't resist temptation. "Actually Eric and I were talking about the whole thing - you know, us having been 'friendly' once - and we can understand if you guys want to even things up a little."

 

   "Even things up? How?" Tommy wondered.

 

   Jason picked up his menu, trying to look innocent. "Oh, just a little payback for - uh - times past. If the two of you want to find a room together and get friendly yourselves, Eric and I can just wait here."

 

   The only sound was Eric choking on the sip of water he had been taking. Jason looked up to see both Tommy and Wes looking very startled and Eric, still coughing, glaring at him murderously. "No good?" he asked. "Then how about a foursome?"

 

   Despite himself, a smile was growing on Tommy's face. Trust Jason to find a way of turning a potentially explosive situation into a joke - and trust his humor to be outrageous! But as Eric and Jason seemed to finally have resolved the issue between them once and for all, he was too relieved not to play along. He gave Wes a considering look. "Hey, no offense, man, but I’ll pass," he said.

 

   Wes was grinning by now too. "Tempting as the offer is, I gotta say no, too."

 

   "Not funny," Eric muttered as the three of them started to laugh. "Not funny at all."

 

 

 

 

**\- End -**

 

 

 

 


End file.
